Atrial fibrillation in horses: Treatment and prognosis

摘要

Treating horses with atrial fibrillation is most successful when using quinidine sulfate delivered by nasogastric intubation at 2-hour intervals. The therapeutic window for quinidine is narrow. Monitoring plasma quinidine and digoxin levels is highly recommended but not always possible. Successful conversion is possible using 6-hour treatment intervals when 24 hours of steady-state quinidine levels have not resulted in cardioversion. A lack of underlying heart disease is associated with improved success of conversion and prognosis.