Comparison of Diltiazem and Metoprolol in the Management of Acute Atrial Fibrillation or Atrial Flutter

Summary

Acute atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained, clinically significant dysrhythmia encountered in the emergency department (ED) and the most common dysrhythmia treated by emergency physicians. Atrial flutter is less common than atrial fibrillation but its management in the ED is very similar, and the majority of patients with atrial flutter also have atrial fibrillation. Symptomatic relief and ventricular rate control are generally the primary therapeutic objectives in the ED management of acute atrial fibrillation and flutter (AFF). The need for swift, appropriate action by the emergency physician is highlighted by the fact that up to 18% of patients with AFF develop potentially life-threatening complications such as congestive heart failure, hypotension, ventricular ectopy, respiratory failure, angina and myocardial infarction. Both beta-blocking agents and calcium channel blockers are commonly used to treat AFF in the ED. Metoprolol is the most commonly used beta-blocker; and diltiazem is the most frequently used calcium channel antagonist.\[8\] Diltiazem was released by the FDA for treatment of AFF in 1992. Shreck et al. were the first to demonstrate both the efficacy of diltiazem in the ED management of AFF with rapid rate and its clear superiority over the previously most commonly used pharmacologic agent, digoxin. To date, only one prospective, randomized trial has compared the effectiveness of a calcium channel blocker (diltiazem) with a beta-blocker (metoprolol) for rate control of AFF in the ED. Despite the relatively small sample size (n=20 in each group) the authors concluded that both pharmacologic agents were similarly effective. In order to test this finding, the investigators conducted a prospective comparison of metoprolol and diltiazem for the management of patients presenting to the ED with AFF with rapid ventricular rate.

Timeline

Start

2009-06

Primary completion

2010-11

Completion

2010-11

Publications

• Background Scott PA, Pancioli AM, Davis LA, Frederiksen SM, Eckman J. Prevalence of atrial fibrillation and antithrombotic prophylaxis in emergency department patients. Stroke. 2002 Nov;33(11):2664-9. doi: 10.1161/01.str.0000035260.70403.88.
• Background McDonald AJ, Pelletier AJ, Ellinor PT, Camargo CA Jr. Increasing US emergency department visit rates and subsequent hospital admissions for atrial fibrillation from 1993 to 2004. Ann Emerg Med. 2008 Jan;51(1):58-65. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2007.03.007. Epub 2007 Apr 27.
• Background Friberg J, Buch P, Scharling H, Gadsbphioll N, Jensen GB. Rising rates of hospital admissions for atrial fibrillation. Epidemiology. 2003 Nov;14(6):666-72. doi: 10.1097/01.ede.0000091649.26364.c0.
• Background Wattigney WA, Mensah GA, Croft JB. Increasing trends in hospitalization for atrial fibrillation in the United States, 1985 through 1999: implications for primary prevention. Circulation. 2003 Aug 12;108(6):711-6. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000083722.42033.0A. Epub 2003 Jul 28.
• Background Stiell IG, Clement CM, Perry JJ, Vaillancourt C, Symington C, Dickinson G, Birnie D, Green MS. Association of the Ottawa Aggressive Protocol with rapid discharge of emergency department patients with recent-onset atrial fibrillation or flutter. CJEM. 2010 May;12(3):181-91. doi: 10.1017/s1481803500012227.
• Background Friedman HZ, Goldberg SF, Bonema JD, Cragg DR, Hauser AM. Acute complications associated with new-onset atrial fibrillation. Am J Cardiol. 1991 Feb 15;67(5):437-9. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(91)90059-t. No abstract available.
• Background Chenoweth J, Diercks DB. Management of atrial fibrillation in the acute setting. Curr Opin Crit Care. 2012 Aug;18(4):333-40. doi: 10.1097/MCC.0b013e328354dc30.
• Background Demircan C, Cikriklar HI, Engindeniz Z, Cebicci H, Atar N, Guler V, Unlu EO, Ozdemir B. Comparison of the effectiveness of intravenous diltiazem and metoprolol in the management of rapid ventricular rate in atrial fibrillation. Emerg Med J. 2005 Jun;22(6):411-4. doi: 10.1136/emj.2003.012047.
• Background Kovacic JC, Moreno P, Nabel EG, Hachinski V, Fuster V. Cellular senescence, vascular disease, and aging: part 2 of a 2-part review: clinical vascular disease in the elderly. Circulation. 2011 May 3;123(17):1900-10. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.009118. No abstract available.
• Background Stiell IG, Macle L; CCS Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines Committee. Canadian Cardiovascular Society atrial fibrillation guidelines 2010: management of recent-onset atrial fibrillation and flutter in the emergency department. Can J Cardiol. 2011 Jan-Feb;27(1):38-46. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2010.11.014.
• Background Rogenstein C, Kelly AM, Mason S, Schneider S, Lang E, Clement CM, Stiell IG. An international view of how recent-onset atrial fibrillation is treated in the emergency department. Acad Emerg Med. 2012 Nov;19(11):1255-60. doi: 10.1111/acem.12016.
• Background Maxwell CJ, Hogan DB, Campbell NR, Ebly EM. Nifedipine and mortality risk in the elderly: relevance of drug formulation, dose and duration. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2000 Jan;9(1):11-23. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1557(200001/02)9:13.0.CO;2-U.
• Background Jollis JG, Simpson RJ Jr, Chowdhury MK, Cascio WE, Crouse JR 3rd, Massing MW, Smith SC Jr. Calcium channel blockers and mortality in elderly patients with myocardial infarction. Arch Intern Med. 1999 Oct 25;159(19):2341-8. doi: 10.1001/archinte.159.19.2341.

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