Skip to main content
. 2019 Sep 4;2019(9):CD005049. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005049.pub5
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.