Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of verapamil in the prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with recurrent AF is unknown. HYPOTHESIS The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of verapamil on the prevention of AF in patients implanted with an implantable atrial defibrillator (IAD). METHODS The effects of verapamil (240 mg/day) on the total duration of AF, number of AF recurrences, and number of cardioversions were prospectively evaluated in a randomized, crossover fashion over an 8-week period in 11 patients (9 men, 2 women; mean age: 60 +/- 6 years) implanted with an IAD. RESULTS Implantable atrial defibrillators successfully converted 13 of 14 (93%) spontaneous episodes of AF. There was no significant difference in the efficacy of cardioversion (86 vs. 100%, p = 0.8), the total duration of AF (173 +/- 198 vs. 270 +/- 241 h, p = 0.5), the number of AF episodes (8.5 +/- 9.0 vs. 9.3 +/- 10.2, p = 0.3), and the number of cardioversions (1.7 +/- 2.4 vs. 1.8 +/- 2.1 p = 0.7) with or without treatment with verapamil. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study suggest that treatment with verapamil has no significant effect on the prevention of AF in patients treated with an LAD.
