Prescribing trends and pharmacoeconomic considerations in the treatment of arrhythmias. Focus on atrial fibrillation and flutter.

Considerable progress has been made regarding the treatment of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. However, controversies still exist with respect to the therapy of choice for ventricular rate control, requirements for long term preventive therapy, and the place of surgical and ablation alternatives. Surrounding these controversies also lies a paucity of pharmacoeconomic studies, which limits delineation of the most cost-effective therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. This article reviews prescribing trends in the US for antiarrhythmic agents, and the available pharmacoeconomic studies that have specifically addressed the treatment of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter.