Tedisamil in atrial fibrillation and flutter

Tedisamil (Pulzium®) is a drug intended for cardiologists to treat atrial fibrillation and flutter, both types of rhythm disturbance of the heart (arrhythmias).
Pulzium® is an innovative drug for now in the later phase of clinical development for treatment of rapid conversion of AF to normal sinus rhythm.

Atrial fibrillation/flutter

The heart is a muscle that pumps the blood through the body. Each beat of the heart is a very rapid series of two contractions. The first contraction is in the upper chambers, the atria; the second contraction is in the lower chambers, the ventricles. The atria receive blood back into the heart and pump it into the ventricles; the ventricles pump the blood out into the aorta, which feeds all the blood vessels to the body. The beating of the heart is controlled by electrical impulses.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a serious heart condition, in which the atria quiver instead of beating effectively. Some signals do not reach the ventricles and the ventricles continue pumping, usually irregularly and rapidly. This fast, uncoordinated rhythm prevents the heart from efficiently pumping blood out to the body.
Blood left in the heart chambers can form clots. These clots may sometimes break away and travel to the brain. If a piece of a blood clot becomes lodged in an artery in the brain, a stroke results. About 15 percent of strokes occur in people with atrial fibrillation.

Although some people with AF have no symptoms, other people feel a tremor of the heart and may experience anxiety and fear. Other symptoms that are experienced by some patients are palpitations, weakness, lightheadedness, shortness of breath and chest pain.

The likelihood of developing AF increases with age and in most cases, AF is due to an existing heart condition. Some risk factors that increase the chance of getting AF are hypertension, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease or a heart attack.

Atrial flutter is a much less common condition than atrial fibrillation. The atria beat more often than the ventricles. The ventricles may beat rapidly, but regularly. The symptoms of atrial flutter are similar to those of atrial fibrillation, but patients do not usually experience the irregular heart rhythm that is more typical with AF.