Evaluation of the Impact of an Institution-Specific Dofetilide Initiation Protocol on Mean Hospital Length of Stay and Cost for Dofetilide Initiation.

Background: Dofetilide is a class III antiarrhythmic drug indicated for the conversion and maintenance of normal sinus rhythm in symptomatic patients with atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter. Delay in initiation of dofetilide therapy may increase the duration of hospitalization from two nights to three nights to complete US Food and Drug Administration-required monitoring. Therefore, substantial cost savings may be associated with implementation of an institution-specific dofetilide initiation protocol in order to reduce hospitalization to two nights.

Testing the Efficacy of Pharmacological Agents in a Pericardial Target Delivery Model in the Swine.

To date, many pharmacological agents used to treat or prevent arrhythmias in open-heart cases create undesired systemic side effects. For example, antiarrhythmic drugs administered intravenously can produce drops in systemic pressure in the already compromised cardiac patient. While performing open-heart procedures, surgeons will often either create a small port or form a pericardial cradle to create suitable fields for operation.