Pharmacological Cardioversion of Acute Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia, and its prevalcence is rapidly rising worldwide, constituting a challenge of both medical and economical significance.

One cornerstone in treating AF is treating atrial fibrillation managing the risk of complications, especially thromboembolisim, through use of anticoagulation. Another is focused on reducing harm caused by AF while maintaining quality of life through either rate control – slowing down the arrhythmia to a managable pace – or rhythm control – striving to maintain normal sinus rhythm through medication and/or cardioversion, i.e. attempting to restore sinus rhythm either by electrical cardioversion or by the use of antiarrhythmic drugs.

This paper outlines the general course of AF, some of the risk factors and treatments with a particular focus on eight antiarrhythmic drugs used in pharmacological cardioversion as well as a glance at the data on pharmacological cardioversions from the FinCV study.