Treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation in the elderly, assessed by ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring.

This study concerns 8 elderly patients with age-related chronic atrial fibrillation that required control of the ventricular response. The effects of oral administration of placebo, pindolol, verapamil, digoxin and digoxin + pindolol were assessed (each for a week) during three daily activity and sleep sessions, over a six-week period. Cardiac rhythm was monitored by taped electrocardiograms. Either digoxin or pindolol was effective, but digoxin was the best tolerated of all the drugs. A combination of pindolol and digoxin reduced the maximum ventricular rate without further depression of the minimum ventricular rate. Digoxin seems to be well tolerated in the control of atrial fibrillation in the elderly, and beta blockade may be a useful therapeutic adjunct.