(Circulation. 2000;102:2385.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.
Clinical Investigation and Reports |
Efficacy and Safety of Oral Dofetilide in Converting to and Maintaining Sinus Rhythm in Patients With Chronic Atrial Fibrillation or Atrial Flutter
The Symptomatic Atrial Fibrillation Investigative Research on Dofetilide (SAFIRE-D) Study
From Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC (S.S.); James A. Haley Medical Center (R.G.Z.), Tampa, Fla; Cardiology Associates Medical Group of East San Diego, Inc (L.Y.), San Diego, Calif; the Division of Cardiology, University of California–Irvine Medical Center (M.A.B.); the Division of Cardiology, University of California–San Diego Medical Center (G.K.F.); the Division of Cardiology, Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas (M.B.), Dallas, Tex; and Pfizer Inc (C.B.B.), Groton, Conn.
Correspondence to Dr Steven Singh, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 50 Irving St NW, Room 1E301, Washington, DC 20422. E-mail snsingh{at}erols.com
Background—This double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study determined the efficacy and safety of dofetilide in converting atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter (AFl) to sinus rhythm (SR) and maintaining SR for 1 year.
Methods and Results—Patients with AF or AFl (n=325) were randomized to 125, 250, or 500 µg dofetilide or placebo twice daily. Dosages were adjusted for QTc response and, after 105 patients were enrolled, for calculated creatinine clearance (ClCr). Pharmacological cardioversion rates for 125, 250, and 500 µg dofetilide were 6.1%, 9.8%, and 29.9%, respectively, versus 1.2% for placebo (250 and 500 µg versus placebo; P=0.015 and P<0.001, respectively). Seventy percent of pharmacological cardioversions with dofetilide were achieved in 24 hours and 91% in 36 hours. For the 250 patients who successfully cardioverted pharmacologically or electrically, the probability of remaining in SR at 1 year was 0.40, 0.37, 0.58 for 125, 250, and 500 µg dofetilide, respectively, and 0.25 for placebo (500 µg versus placebo, P=0.001). Two cases of torsade de pointes occurred, 1 on day 2 and the other on day 3 (0.8% of all patients given active drug); 1 sudden cardiac death, classified as proarrhythmic, occurred on day 8 (0.4% of all patients given active drug).
Conclusions—Dofetilide, a new class III antiarrhythmic agent, is moderately effective in cardioverting AF or AFl to SR and significantly effective in maintaining SR for 1 year. In-hospital initiation and dosage adjustment based on QTc and ClCr are necessary to minimize a small but nonnegligible proarrhythmic risk.
Key Words: antiarrhythmia agents • arrhythmia • fibrillation • atrial flutter
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