[Experience with long-term outpatient use of cordarone in the prevention of paroxysms of atrial fibrillation (flutter)].

In a group of 250 patients suffering from frequent paroxysms of atrial fibrillations (flutters), the application of cordarone for 1 to 5 years prevented the occurrence of arrhythmic paroxysms in 23.6%, contributed to a reduction of their numbers up to 1 a year in 35.6%, up to 2-3 a year in 20.4%. Good and satisfactory results were obtained nearly in 80% of the patients. Cordarone failed to act in 10.4%. In 12.8%, the "escape" phenomenon was observed, i.e. loss of the agents' action following its long-acting effect when the patients were on a maintenance dosage. The results of the preventive usage of cordarone were not clearly related to the degree of atrial dilatation and the pattern of cardiac disease.