This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Class IV drugs in atrial fibrillation

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Drugs such as verapamil and diltiazem increase the refractory period of the atrioventricular node and so control the ventricular response to atrial fibrillation.

Disadvantages of verapamil include:

  • a lower rate of conversion to sinus rhythm than with class IV or class I drugs
  • a danger of malignant ventricular arrhythmias if there is underlying Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
  • a lack of efficacy in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page