Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32368381›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of innovations in cardiac rhythm management2020

Low-dose Amiodarone Is Safe: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Ronpichai Chokesuwattanaskul, Nupur Shah, Susama Chokesuwattanaskul, Zhigang Liu, Ranjan Thakur

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of innovations in cardiac rhythm management, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Brazilian Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines - 2025.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Reduced-dose Antiarrhythmic Drugs: Valuable or Valueless?The Journal of innovations in cardiac rhythm management · 2020
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ronpichai ChokesuwattanaskulSparrow Hospital, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA.
Nupur ShahSt. Mary Mercy Hospital, Livonia, MI, USA.
Susama ChokesuwattanaskulDepartment of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Zhigang LiuDivision of Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of Michigan Health Care, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Ranjan ThakurSparrow Hospital, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Amiodarone is commonly used for a variety of arrhythmias and, in some parts of the world, is the only available antiarrhythmic drug (AAD). Yet, amiodarone is known to have a wide range of potential side effects, many of which are dose- and duration-dependent. We sought to study the incidence of side effects leading to the discontinuation of low-dose amiodarone, arbitrarily defined as 200 mg/day or less, and very-low-dose amiodarone, defined as 100 mg/day or less. In this study, literature databases were searched through June 2019. Studies that reported the incidence or prevalence of side effects of amiodarone were included. Effect estimates from individual studies were extracted and combined using the random-effects generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird. A total of 10 observational cohort studies involving 901 patients were included in the analysis. The pooled estimated incidence of overall side effects for low-dose amiodarone was 0.17 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12-0.22]. In addition, the pooled estimated incidence of side effects requiring medication discontinuation was 0.06 (95% CI: 0.03-0.11). As compared with 200 mg/day of amiodarone, the pooled estimated incidence of overall side effects was 0.11 (95% CI: 0.04-0.27), while the incidence of side effects requiring medication discontinuation was 0.02 (95% CI: 0.01-0.06) for the dose of 100 mg/day. In conclusion, very-low-dose amiodarone displays a low incidence of significant side effects requiring medication discontinuation.

Indexed as

Amiodaronelow dosemeta-analysissafetyside effect

Identifiers

PMID32368381
PMCPMC7192149

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.