Pharmacological therapy of atrial fibrillation

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the Western world. Present pharmacological options are limited by inefficacy, proarrhythmia and end-organ toxicity. Enhanced understanding of the underlying causes of this pleotropic entity may allow the creation of targeted drugs that avoid the pitfalls of current options. This review concentrates on both the classical and novel pharmacological therapies aimed at maintaining sinus rhythm.

Keywords::

• atrial fibrillation
• atrial selective
• novel therapeutic agents

Disclaimer: conflicts of interest

RL Page has received support from Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals and has been a Consultant for Berlex Laboratories, Reliant Pharmaceuticals and sanofi-aventis.