Atorvastatin Therapy for the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation (SToP-AF)
Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2009-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The purpose of this study is to test whether the drug, atorvastatin, will be able to reduce
the rate of return of the abnormal beats after using cardioversion. Atorvastatin is a drug
approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of high cholesterol but
is not approved for preventing abnormal heartbeats. In addition to lowering cholesterol, the
drug reduces inflammation. Inflammation seems to help cause atrial fibrillation, a certain
type of abnormal heartbeat. In animals, atorvastatin reduces the risk of this type of
abnormal beats, and preliminary data in humans supports an effect of atorvastatin and other
similar drugs that have the same action on reducing the risk of this type of abnormal beats.
We, the researchers at Emory University, would like to learn if this drug could prevent the
return of these abnormal heartbeats.