Effectiveness of oral propafenone for the prevention of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting

The efficacy and safety of oral propafenone for the prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) were tested in a group of 293 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. Patients were randomized to placebo or 1 of 2 doses of propafenone. Patients treated with propafenone 675 mg/day compared with placebo had a nonsignificantly reduced incidence of AF and did not have a reduction in length of stay. Adverse events and discontinuations for untoward events were equal among the 3 groups.