?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Latest+Updates+In+EP+%0A&rft.creator=Basu+Ray%2C+Indranill&rft.subject=Indian+Pacing+and+Electrophysiology+Journal&rft.description=Side+effects+of+antiarrhythmic+drug+(AAD)+therapy+--+not+inefficacy+--+are+responsible+for+the+inability+of+rhythm+control+to+maintain+long-term+sinus+rhythm%2C+according+to+an+analysis+from+the+Rate+Control+vs.+Electrical+Cardioversion+(RACE)+study.1+%0A++++++++++++Presenting+the+data+at+the+European+Society+of+Cardiology+2003+Congress+(Vienna%2C+Austria)%2C+Eduard+H.+Hoekstra%2C+MD%2C+University+Hospital+(Groningen%2C+The+Netherlands)+on+behalf+of+the+RACE+investigators+reported+that+long-term+maintenance+of+sinus+rhythm+was+significantly+reduced+by+the+side+effects+of+sotalol+and+amiodarone+and+the+discontinuation+amiodarone%2C+but+not+by+clinical+characteristics.+They+suggested+that+the+high+incidence+of+side+effects+from+the+drugs+is+responsible+for+the+failure+of+rhythm+control+to+show+superiority+over+rate+control+for+the+treatment+of+atrial+fibrillation+(AF)%2C+as+reported+in+several+large+randomized+trials.+The+current+analysis+was+designed+to+determine+the+actual+number+of+AAD+side+effects%2C+their+clinical+characteristics%2C+and+relation+of+the+side-effects+to+the+failure+of+long-term+maintenance+of+sinus+rhythm+in+the+266+patients+with+AF+(%3C%2F%3D+6+months)+randomized+to+the+rhythm+control+arm+of+the+RACE+study.+Patients+enrolled+in+the+study+had+persistent+AF+despite+previous+electrical+cardioversion.+Baseline+clinical+characteristics+were+%22typical%22+of+a+patient+population+with+persistent+AF%3B+91%25+of+rhythm+patients+presented+with+%3E%2F%3D+1+risk+factor+for+stroke.2%0A&rft.publisher=Indian+Pacing+and+Electrophysiology+Group&rft.contributor=Singh%2C+Balbir&rft.contributor=Lokhandwala%2C+Yash&rft.contributor=Francis%2C+Johnson&rft.contributor=Gupta%2C+Anup&rft.date=2003-10&rft.type=Journal+(Paginated)&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=text%2Fhtml&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F4255%2F1%2Fray2.htm&rft.identifier=++Basu+Ray%2C+Indranill++(2003)+Latest+Updates+In+EP.++%5BJournal+(Paginated)%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F4255%2F