Study	Reason for exclusion
Aberg 1969	Non‐controlled study: all participants were initially treated with quinidine for 1 year, then allocated to procainamide alone or procainamide + quinidine and followed for only 3 months.
Adamyan 2015	Inadequate comparison: did not compare individual antiarrhythmic drugs, but combinations of 2 drugs (amiodarone + ivabradine vs amiodarone + bisoprolol).
AF‐CHF 2002	Rate vs rhythm control comparison. Participants in control group (rate control) were in persistent AF not reverted to sinus rhythm. Use of long‐term oral anticoagulants was significantly different between rate and rhythm control groups.
AFFIRM 2002	Rate vs rhythm control comparison. People in persistent AF at inclusion, not reverted to sinus rhythm. Multiple different antiarrhythmics used in intervention group (rhythm control), not analysed separately. Warfarin mandatory in control group (rate control) but discretionary in antiarrhythmics group and actual use was very different.
Anderson 1994	Cross‐over study. Follow‐up < 6 months (4 months).
Andromeda 2008	People with heart failure were randomised to dronedarone or placebo. About 25% of participants had AF but it was not possible to obtain separate data for those participants. Mean follow‐up was only 2 months as the trial was terminated early because of increased deaths in the dronedarone group.
Antman 1990	Non‐controlled trial.
Aros 1978	Inadequate comparison: quinidine vs quinidine + amiodarone. Probably not truly randomised. All participants underwent cardiac surgery.
Babuty 1999	Comparison of drugs not relevant: flecainide vs cibenzoline, but the effectiveness of cibenzoline was not known. Included people with atrial tachyarrhythmias of various types, not only AF.
Beck 1978	Acute pharmacological conversion of AF only, no long‐term therapy with antiarrhythmics.
Berns 1987	Non‐controlled trial.
Blevins 1987	Non‐controlled trial.
Blomstrom 1984	Non‐controlled trial.
Boissel 1981	Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months). Some participants followed for 1 year but they had not been randomised.
Brodsky 1987	Non‐controlled trial.
CHF‐STAF 1998	Recruited people with heart failure, only 15% had AF, not reverted to sinus rhythm, not analysed separately.
Chun 1995	Non‐controlled trial.
Clementy 1992	Non‐controlled trial.
Connolly 1989	Cross‐over study. Follow‐up < 6 months (4 months).
CTAF 2000	Initially included, but useable data could not be extracted: amiodarone compared against the sequential use of propafenone and sotalol, and separate data on each drug were not available.
Cuan‐Perez 1971	Non‐randomised, retrospective study.
Darkner 2014	Short‐term treatment: only 8 weeks of antiarrhythmic drug (amiodarone).
Di Biase 2016	Inadequate comparison: compared an antiarrhythmic (amiodarone) with catheter ablation, not against placebo or no treatment.
Enriquez 2014	Only antiarrhythmic drugs for acute cardioversion studied.
ERAFT 2002	Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months).
Faivre 1970	Non‐randomised trial, retrospective control series.
Farkowski 2012	Only antiarrhythmics for acute cardioversion studied.
Fernández 1998	Acute pharmacological conversion of AF only, no long‐term therapy with antiarrhythmics.
Feyrer 2014	Non‐randomised study.
Fragakis 2012	Very short‐term study (24 hours follow‐up) on the efficacy for converting recent onset AF. All groups received amiodarone.
Frances 1985	Comparison of drugs not relevant: quinidine vs cibenzoline, but the effectiveness of cibenzoline was not known.
Galperin 2014	All randomised participants received amiodarone; treatment for 3 months was compared with treatment for 18 months. A control group existed but included only 9 participants and they were not randomly allocated.
Gold 1986	Non‐controlled trial.
Gosselink 1992	Non‐controlled trial.
Graboys 1983	Non‐controlled trial.
Gramley 2011	Data unusable: compared a group receiving dronedarone with other group receiving flecainide or amiodarone. Separate data for amiodarone and flecainide not available. Only global outcomes (all groups pooled) were available at 6 months.
Grigoryan 2011	Non‐randomised study with only 16 weeks' follow‐up. Compared ivabradine vs placebo.
Gu 2012	1 antiarrhythmic drug (amiodarone or propafenone) vs a combination of both, but separate data for amiodarone and propafenone were not available.
GUSTO 2002	Randomised trial but allocation to antiarrhythmics was not randomised. Multiple different antiarrhythmics used, mainly for acute cardioversion, only 19% of participants received long‐term treatment with an antiarrhythmic.
Hammill 1988	Non‐controlled trial.
Hartel 1974	Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months).
Hopson 1996	Non‐controlled trial.
Horowitz 1985	Non‐controlled trial.
HOT‐CAFE 2004	Rate vs rhythm control comparison. Participants in control group in persistent AF not reverted to sinus rhythm. Various antiarrhythmics used sequentially in intervention group (rhythm control), not analysed separately. Warfarin mandatory in control group (rate control) but discretionary in antiarrhythmics group.
Härtel 1970	Quasi‐randomised: allocation by year of birth. Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months).
Ishiguro 2008	Non‐controlled trial: all participants received bisoprolol.
J‐BAF 2009	Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months only). The main endpoint of the study was the rate of cardioversion achieved rather than the maintaining of sinus rhythm. Rates of participants reverted to sinus rhythm were largely different between study groups.
J‐RHYTHM 2009	Rate vs rhythm control comparison. Participants in control group (rate control) in persistent AF not reverted to sinus rhythm. Multiple different antiarrhythmics used in intervention group (rhythm control), not analysed separately.
Jong 2006	Inadequate comparison: 2 different doses of amiodarone were studied, without any control (placebo or a different drug) group.
Kanoupakis 2004	Follow‐up < 6 months (4 weeks).
Kennelly 1977	Non‐randomised trial. Comparison of drugs not relevant: quinidine vs lidoflazine, but the effectiveness of lidoflazine was not known. Stopped prematurely due to mortality excess with lidoflazine.
Kerr 1988	Non‐controlled trial.
Khitri 2012	Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months only). Compared celivarone (drug related to amiodarone) with amiodarone and placebo.
Komatsu 2006	Comparison of drug not relevant: cibenzoline vs pilsicainide, but the effectiveness of both drugs in AF was unknown (no studies comparing them with placebo or no treatment).
Kosior 2001	Non‐controlled trial.
Kosior 2009	Very short‐term study (24 hours' follow‐up only) comparing quinidine vs propafenone for the conversion of paroxysmal AF.
Kyles 1991	Non‐controlled trial.
Lardoux 1996	Comparison of drugs not relevant: propafenone vs cibenzoline, but the effectiveness of cibenzoline was not known. Included people with atrial tachyarrhythmias of various types, not only AF.
Lau 1992	Cross‐over study.
Levi 1973	Acute pharmacological conversion of AF only, no long‐term therapy with antiarrhythmics.
Li 2004	Non‐randomised, retrospective study.
Lodziński 2014	Short‐term treatment: only 2 months of antiarrhythmic treatment (amiodarone or sotalol).
Löbe 2013	Non‐controlled, non‐randomised trial. All participants received dronedarone.
Manios 2003	Follow‐up < 6 months (6 weeks).
Martin 1986	Not truly randomised. Unknown if AF was reverted in all participants.
Mary‐Rabine 1990	Non‐controlled trial.
Massacci 1991	Cross‐over study.
Maĭkov 2015	Protocol. Only antiarrhythmics for acute cardioversion were studied.
Meng 2015	Inadequate comparison: compared sotalol vs Wenxin Kel, a Chinese herbal medicine. Furthermore, essential data on participants' characteristics at inclusion and methods employed not available.
Mizutani 1995	Non‐controlled trial for long‐term use of antiarrhythmics after conversion.
Mont 2014	Inadequate comparison: compared several antiarrhythmics with catheter ablation, not against placebo or no treatment. No separate data for each antiarrhythmic drug employed was provided. Furthermore, unclear if all participants in the antiarrhythmic group underwent cardioversion to sinus rhythm.
Nedostup 1990	Non‐randomised, retrospective study.
Opolski 1997	Non‐controlled trial.
Park 2014	Short‐term treatment: only 3‐months' treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs.
PEPS 2002	Non‐controlled trial.
PIAF 2000	Rate vs rhythm control comparison. Participants in control group in persistent AF not reverted to sinus rhythm.
Pietersen 1991	Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months).
Piot 1998	Comparison of drugs not relevant: disopyramide vs cibenzoline, but the effectiveness of cibenzoline was not known.
Porterfield 1989	Non‐controlled trial.
PSVT 1995	Cross‐over study. Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months).
Qin 2016	Non‐randomised trial. Retrospective cohort analysis.
RACE 2002	Rate vs rhythm control comparison. Participants in control group in persistent AF not reverted to sinus rhythm. Various antiarrhythmics used sequentially in intervention group (rhythm control), not analysed separately. Warfarin mandatory in control group (rate control) but discretionary in antiarrhythmics group.
Rakhmanova 2014	Inadequate comparison: non‐commercialised drug (allapinine) compared to quinidine. Lack of essential data: unable to translate from Russian and unable to contact the authors.
Rasmussen 1981	Cross‐over study. Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months).
Resnekov 1971	Non‐controlled trial.
STAF 2003	Rate vs rhythm control comparison. People in persistent AF at inclusion, not reverted to sinus rhythm. Multiple different antiarrhythmics used in intervention group (rhythm control), not analysed separately.
Steeds 1999	Cross‐over study. Follow‐up < 6 months (2 months).
Tonet 1986	Cross‐over study.
Torp‐Pedersen 2011	Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months). Multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing several doses of vernakalant with placebo.
Touboul 1995	Comparison of drugs not relevant: quinidine vs cibenzoline, but the effectiveness of cibenzoline was not known.
Van Wijk 1989	Cross‐over study. Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months).
VEPARAF 2003	Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months).
Wanless 1997	Follow‐up < 6 months (4–8 weeks).
Zehender 1992	Follow‐up < 6 months (3 months). Some participants followed longer but all received quinidine, and there was no control group.
Zeriouh 2014	Non‐randomised, non‐comparative study.

AF: atrial fibrillation.