Comparative study of cibenzoline vs.disopyramide in the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after cardiovascular surgery

Objective To investigate the divergence of cibenzoline and disopyramide in the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after cardiovascular surgery. Methods 118 patients who had postoperative paroxysmal AF lasting≥30 min were randomly assigned to receive either intravenous cibenzoline(70 mg,n= 60)or disopyramide(50 mg,n= 58) for terminating postoperative paroxysmal AF.Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust several covariates and to generate adjusted odds ratios(OR) to identify clinical factors to increase the termination efficacy of intravenous cibenzoline and disopyramide. Results The success rate of intravenous cibenzoline therapy 46.67%(28/60)was significantly higher than that of intravenous disopyramide therapy[24.13%(14/58),P<0.05].The significant variables for the termination of paroxysmal AF after intravenous cibenzoline therapy were pretreatment with oralβ- adrenergic blockers(OR= 8.224,P<0.05)and smaller left atrial dimensions(OR= 0.879,P< 0.05). Conclusion The efficacy of intravenous cibenzoline for the termination of postoperative paroxysmal AF was more satisfactory than that of disopyramide,especially in patients with pre- administration of oral β- adrenergic blockers and those with smaller left atrium. Key words: Cardiovascular surgery; Cibenzoline; Disopyramide; β-adrenergic blockers; Atrial fibrillation