According to information from a new study, Vernakalant works better than amiodarone at treating acute conversion for early onset atrial fibrillation (AF).

AF is the most common type of heart arrhythmia that finds patients in the emergency room seeking treatment. Doctors have found that converting early onset AF to sinus rhythm actually eases the symptoms of AF. However, there aren’t enough medications on the market today that can do that without also causing serious side effects. That is why a new drug for drug-induced cardioversion, Vernakalant, has been getting some attention lately. Vernakalant has been shown to block early activating K+ channels (IKur) and frequency-dependent Na+ channels in way that even beats out the popular amidarone.

The AVRO trial had researchers comparing the benefits of Vernakalant against Amiodarone in patients who had suffered from recent onset AF. During the trial, researchers monitored data collected from 254 AF patients who were eligible for cardioversion. The researchers gave the patients “either a 10-minute infusion of Vernakalant followed by a 15-minute observation period and a second 10-minute infusion if still in AF, plus a sham amiodarone infusion, or a 60-minute infusion of amiodarone followed by a maintenance infusion over an additional 60 minutes, plus a sham Vernakalant infusion.”

What the researchers found was that Vernakalant was a safer and more beneficial alternative treatment to amiodarone in treating acute conversion of recent-onset AF. Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition that causes patients to suffer from irregular heartbeats and fluttering heartbeats, and is treated with various medications including Multaq. Like many prescription medications, Multaq can be a dangerous drug to take once the side effects are considered. Some of the serious side effects linked to Multaq include a worsening of the heart condition, liver failure, lung disease and pulmonary toxicity.

If you or a loved one has suffered from liver failure, a worsening of the heart condition, lung disease or pulmonary toxicity after taking Multaq, contact attorney Greg Jones for a free consultation today. I am experienced at fighting Multaq lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your injuries.