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Comparison of intravenous diltiazem and verapamil for the acute treatment of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy and safety of intravenous diltiazem and verapamil in controlling ventricular rate in patients with atrial fibrillation or flutter, and to evaluate the effects of these agents on left ventricular systolic function. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, crossover study. SETTING: University-affiliated hospital and Veterans Administration hospital. PATIENTS: Seventeen men with atrial fibrillation or flutter with a ventricular rate of 120 beats/minute or higher and a systolic blood pressure of 100 mm Hg or greater. INTERVENTIONS: Patients received up to two intravenous boluses of either diltiazem or verapamil, followed by an 8-hour continuous infusion if a therapeutic response was achieved (phase I). After a washout period, patients who responded were crossed over to receive the other drug in a similar fashion (phase II). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: At the end of each infusion, the patient's ejection fraction was assessed by gated angiography. Of the 17 men initially randomized, 8 successfully completed both phases I and II. In these patients, baseline mean (+/- SD) ventricular rates before treatment with intravenous diltiazem and verapamil were 138 +/- 15 and 132 +/- 9 beats/minute, respectively (NS). At 2 minutes after the initial bolus dose, the mean ventricular rate decreased to 100 +/- 13 beats/minute in the diltiazem group compared with 114 +/- 17 beats/minute in those receiving verapamil (p < 0.05). Mean ventricular rates of 96 +/- 11 and 97 +/- 9 beats/minute were maintained during the 8-hour continuous infusion of diltiazem and verapamil, respectively (NS). On completion of the bolus dose(s) and during continuous infusions, there were no significant differences in blood pressures between the groups. Mean ejection fractions were 35.6 +/- 13.6% and 35.5 +/- 15.4% in the diltiazem and verapamil groups, respectively (NS). For the 17 patients, the mean maximum percentage decreases in blood pressure were not significantly different between groups. However, three patients developed symptomatic hypotension, all of whom were randomized to receive verapamil initially. CONCLUSION: Intravenous diltiazem and verapamil are comparable in terms of efficacy and effect on systolic function in patients with rapid atrial fibrillation and flutter. However, hypotension may limit therapy with verapamil in some patients.

Aged↗

[Estimation using unipolar transesophageal recording of the interatrial conduction time in patients with paroxysmal atrial flutter and fibrillation].

Twenty-three consecutive subjects (age 46.7 +/- 21, range 13-78) addressed to our attention for symptoms attributed to documented or suspected supra ventricular arrhythmias underwent transesophageal electrophysiologic study. On the basis of the preliminary investigations 15 proved free from organic heart disease, 2 were affected with ischemic heart disease (secondary angina), 6 with hypertensive cardiomyopathy. In each patient the sensibility, specificity and positive predictive value of the following reports regarding the occurrence of paroxysmal fibrillation and flutter (Ffap) were evaluated: a) echo reports of left atrial enlargement; b) ECG signs of atrial enlargement; c) interatrial conduction time (TCIA) assessed with unipolar transesophageal recording. As TCIA we adopted the time interval intercurrent from the first low-voltage deflection of the esophageal P wave (far field) and the apex of the intrinsecoid deflection of the same wave. TCIA proved significantly longer in the 12 patients affected with Ffap compared with those free from documented paroxysmal or inducible arrhythmias or affected with paroxysmal junctional reciprocating tachycardias: 76.6 +/- 11 vs 51.8 +/- 11.7; p less than 0.001. A TCIA greater than 63 msec characterizes with satisfactory sensibility and specificity the occurrence of Ffap: sens. 75%, spec. 91%, positive predictive value 90%. Echo and ECG reports of atrial enlargement behave as highly specific but not sufficiently sensitive indexes of the occurrence of Ffap: sens. 42%, spec. 100%, pos. pred. val. 100% and sens. 17%, spec. 100%, pos.pred.val. 100% resp. We concluded that TCIA is an index correlated with and predictive of the occurrence of Ffap in patients symptomatic for cardiopalmus or neurologic symptoms in the absence of other arrhythmias detectable with Holter monitoring which are able to produce clinical symptoms.

Adolescent↗