The Safety of Amiodarone for Heart Failure Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference of the safety of oral amiodarone in heart failure patients by presence of atrial fibrillation. Methods: The subjects were 75 patients in whom the oral amiodarone was administrated for the treatment of tachyarrhythmia and with anamnesis of heart failure. We compared the background, the frequency of side effect and taking period between group 1 (with atrila fibrillation, n=46) and group 2 (without atrial fibrillation, n=29). Results: In Group 1, significantly age (69±7 vs. 60±13 years old: p<0.0001) was high and diameter of LA (47±10 vs. 40±6 mm: p<0.0001) was large. But there was no significant difference of LV ejection fractions (mean 34±11%), diameter of LV (mean 60±9 mm), ratio of taking β-blocker (84%), ACE/ARB (79%), dose of amiodarone (mean 150±60 mg/day), and taking period (mean 31±35 months: 0.1–183 months) between two groups. The frequency of side effect was 9% (4/46) in group 1 and 17% (5/29) in group 2, there was no significant difference. The side effect were three interstitial pneumonia (4%), one respiratory symptom, one pancytopenia, one eosinophilia, one bradycardia, one liver dysfunction, one hypothyroidism. Conclusion: There was no difference of the frequency of side effect and taking period of oral amiodarone in heart failure patients by presence of atrial fibrillation.