Is termination of a tachyarrhythmia by flunarizine a specific marker for a triggered mechanism?
Flunarizine (1) causes progressive slowing and block in the area of slow conduction of the AFL reentrant circuit in the canine sterile pericarditis model and (2) is effective in terminating reentrant AFL and so is not a specific marker for a triggered mechanism.
Cardiac surgeons must be able to critically analyze RCTs, so that any potential bias can be uncovered which may influence the interpretation of the data and the trial's reported conclusions. It is important for cardiac surgeons to read and understand the major RCTs involving cardiac surgery, as they provide the strongest evidence when choosing between treatment options for patients with cardiac disease.