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A comparison of rectilinear and truncated exponential biphasic waveforms in elective cardioversion of atrial fibrillation: a prospective randomized controlled trial
Resuscitation, 07/31/2012
Clinical Article
Deakin CD et al. – Biphasic rectilinear (BR) and biphasic truncated exponential (BTE) waveforms show similar high efficacy in the elective cardioversion of atrial fibrillation.
Methods- In a prospective randomised controlled study, sequential adult patients undergoing elective cardioversion for AF were recruited.
- Patients were randomised to receive synchronised defibrillation using either a BR or BTE waveform, both using a 50J, 100J, 150J, 200J, 200J selected energy escalating protocol.
- Failure to cardiovert after the fifth shock was classed as failed defibrillation.
- The power of this study was 80% with 5% significance level to detect a difference of 20% or greater between groups.
- Survival analysis was used to compare the total energy delivered to achieve successful cardioversion between groups.
- A total of 202 patients were recruited, of which data are complete for 199 (100 BR; 99 BTE).
- Median number of shocks to achieve cardioversion was 2 for the BR waveform and 3 for the BTE waveform (P=0.059).
- In the BR waveform group, 95/100 (95.0%) achieved sinus rhythm.
- In the BTE waveform group, 90/99 (90.9%) achieved sinus rhythm and this group required on average 117.1J more energy to achieve the outcome compared to the BR waveform group (P=0.838).
