Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24072451›Full record

ArticleEuropace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology2014

Effect of dronedarone on clinical end points in patients with atrial fibrillation and coronary heart disease: insights from the ATHENA trial.

Ron Pisters, Stefan H Hohnloser, Stuart J Connolly, Christian Torp-Pedersen, Lisa Naditch-Brûlé, Richard L Page, Harry J G M Crijns, ATHENA Investigators

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 35 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Practical compendium of antiarrhythmic drugs: a clinical consensus statement of the European Heart Rhythm Association of the European Society of Cardiology.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Review
  3. Dronedarone hydrochloride enhances the bioactivity of endothelial progenitor cellsThe Korean journal of physiology & pharmacology : official journal of the Korean Physiological Society and the Korean Society of Pharmacology · 2021
    Article
  4. The RACE to the EAST. In pursuit of rhythm control therapy for atrial fibrillation-a dedication to Harry Crijns.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2021
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Advancements in pharmacotherapy for angina.Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy · 2017
    Review
  8. A Review of the Relationship of Atrial Fibrillation and Acute Coronary Syndrome.Current emergency and hospital medicine reports · 2016
    Article
  9. Angina treatments and prevention of cardiac events: an appraisal of the evidence.European heart journal supplements : journal of the European Society of Cardiology · 2015
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 6 institutions in 6 countries.

Ron PistersDepartment of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, PO Box 5800 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Stefan H Hohnloser
Stuart J Connolly
Christian Torp-Pedersen
Lisa Naditch-Brûlé
Richard L Page
Harry J G M Crijns
ATHENA Investigators
Maastricht University Medical Centre · NLAalborg University · DKPopulation Health Research Institute · CASanofi (France) · FRUniversity Hospital Frankfurt · DEUniversity of Washington · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsThis study aimed to assess safety and cardiovascular outcomes of dronedarone in patients with paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) with coronary heart disease (CHD). Coronary heart disease is prevalent among AF patients and limits antiarrhythmic drug use because of their potentially life-threatening ventricular proarrhythmic effects. METHODS AND

resultsThis post hoc analysis evaluated 1405 patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF and CHD from the ATHENA trial. Follow-up lasted 2.5 years, during which patients received either dronedarone (400 mg twice daily) or a double-blind matching placebo. Primary outcome was time to first cardiovascular hospitalization or death due to any cause. Secondary end points included first hospitalization due to cardiovascular events. The primary outcome occurred in 350 of 737 (47%) placebo patients vs. 252 of 668 (38%) dronedarone patients [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.73; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.62-0.86; P = 0.0002] without a significant increase in number of adverse events. In addition, 42 of 668 patients receiving dronedarone suffered from a first acute coronary syndrome compared with 67 of 737 patients from the placebo group (HR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.46-0.99; P = 0.04).

conclusionIn this post hoc analysis, dronedarone on top of standard care in AF patients with CHD reduced cardiovascular hospitalization or death similar to that in the overall ATHENA population, and reduced a first acute coronary syndrome. Importantly, the safety profile in this subpopulation was also similar to that of the overall ATHENA population, with no excess in proarrhythmias. The mechanism of the cardiovascular protective effects is unclear and warrants further investigation.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overAmiodaroneAnti-Arrhythmia AgentsAtrial FibrillationCoronary DiseaseDronedaroneHeart Conduction SystemHeart RateHospitalizationHumansMaleMiddle AgedRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRetrospective StudiesTime FactorsAmiodaroneAnti-Arrhythmia AgentsDronedaroneAtrial fibrillationCoronary heart diseaseDronedarone

Identifiers

PMID24072451
PMCPMC3905706
OpenAlexW2120883403

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.