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Query: UMLS:C0034069 (pulmonary fibrosis)
 7,050 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cardiac arrhythmias are a common problem in the perioperative period. The incidence found in the current literature varies depending on the population studied and the definition of arrhythmia used. Overall supraventricular arrhythmias, namely atrial fibrillation, are the most common form. Because of its broad spectrum amiodarone is often used to suppress supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias. It is believed to be safe for treating patients with severe cardiac disease and it has less proarrhyhmogenic potential than many other antiarrhythmic drugs. However, the use of amiodarone is limited by its cardiac and non-cardiac adverse effects, such as life-threatening bradycardia, pulmonary fibrosis or thyrotoxicosis. According to the guidelines of the American Heart Association, amiodarone can be used to treat atrial fibrillation. Because spontaneous conversion rates in the perioperative setting are high and the advantage of a rhythm control strategy over rate control is questionable, a rate control strategy using less toxic drugs like beta blockers or calcium channel blockers should be preferred in hemodynamically stable patients. The current guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) recommend amiodarone to treat hemodynamically stable ventricular tachycardia and in this setting ajmaline is also highly effective. Amiodarone should be administered to patients with cardiac arrest if ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation persists after three attempts at defibrillation. Dronedarone is a derivate of amiodarone with a similar mechanism of action but with less non-cardiac side effects and is currently being tested in clinical trials. The use of the atrial-specific potassium channel blockers AZD7009 and vernakalant are also being investigated. Furthermore, the role of statins, ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers in the prevention of atrial fibrillation has to be evaluated.
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PMID:[Amiodaron for treatment of perioperative cardiac arrythmia: a broad spectrum antiarrythmetic agent?]. 1870 41

In patients with atrial fibrillation, a betablocker is generally used initially to prevent recurrence or to slow the heart rate. Amiodarone is a last resort, mainly because of its numerous adverse effects. Dronedarone, chemically similar to amiodarone,was recently authorised for this indication in the European Union. In a double-blind trial versus amiodarone in 504 patients, the failure rate was significantly higher with dronedarone (75.1% versus 58.8%). Two placebo-controlled trials in heart failure patients yielded conflicting results. Dronedarone was associated with a statistically significant increase in mortality in a trial in 627 symptomatic patients free of arrhythmias. However, there was no statistically significant difference in a trial including 4630 patients with atrial fibrillation and a lower risk of cardiovascular events. There are no comparative trials versus other antiarrhythmic drugs or heart-rate-lowering agents, including betablockers and calcium channel blockers. Like other antiarrhythmic drugs, dronedarone also has arrhythmogenic effects, including bradycardia and QT prolongation. Other adverse effects include diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, and cutaneous disorders. Transient elevation of creatinine levels is also frequent, and cases of renal failure have been reported. In the trial versus amiodarone, dronedarone had a different pattern of short-term adverse effects, including more gastrointestinal disorders but less frequent thyroid disorders, neurological disorders, hypersensitivity reactions, hypertension, and QT prolongation. Little is known of potential long-term adverse effects, especially pulmonary fibrosis. In practice, dronedarone is better tolerated but less effective than amiodarone in the short term.When antiarrhythmic drug therapy is needed, it is better to continue to use a betablocker or, as a last resort, amiodarone, a drug with better-documented adverse effects, especially during long-term treatment.
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PMID:Dronedarone. atrial fibrillation: too many questions about long-term adverse effects. 2093 39