Feasibility and Safety of Intravenous Sotalol Loading in Adult Patients With Atrial Fibrillation (DASH-AF).

BACKGROUND: Inpatient initiation of sotalol is recommended owing to its proarrhythmic effects. OBJECTIVES: The DASH-AF (Feasibility and Safety of Intravenous Sotalol Administered as a Loading Dose to Initiate Oral Sotalol Therapy in Adult Patients With Atrial Fibrillation) trial evaluates the safety and feasibility of intravenous (IV) sotalol, achieving a steady state with maximum QTc prolongation within 6 hours instead of the traditional 5-dose inpatient oral (PO) titration. METHODS: DASH-AF is a prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter, open-label trial consisting of patients who underwent IV sotalol loading dose to initiate rapid oral therapy for atrial arrhythmias. IV dose was calculated based on the target oral dose as indicated by baseline QTc and renal function. Patients' QTc (in sinus) was measured via electrocardiography at 15-minute intervals and after IV loading completion. Patients were discharged 4 hours after first oral dose. All patients were monitored via mobile cardiac outpatient telemetry for 72 hours. The control group was composed of patients admitted for the traditional 5 PO doses. Safety outcomes were assessed in both groups. RESULTS: A total of 120 patients from 3 centers were enrolled from 2021 to 2022 in the IV loading group (compared with type of AF- and renal function-matched patients in the conventional PO loading cohort). This study demonstrated no significant change in ΔQTc in both groups, with a significantly lower number of patients requiring dose adjustment in the IV arm compared with the PO arm (4.1% vs 16.6%; P = 0.003). This led to potential cost savings of up to $3,500.68 per admission. CONCLUSIONS: The DASH-AF trial shows that rapid IV sotalol loading in atrial fibrillation/flutter patients for rhythm control is feasible and safe compared with conventional oral loading with significant cost reduction. (Feasibility and Safety of Intravenous Sotalol Administered as a Loading Dose to Initiate Oral Sotalol Therapy in Adult Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [DASH-AF]; NCT04473807).

Relationship of Initial Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy Dose With Weight Gain in Infants With Cystic Fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to test the hypothesis of a positive relationship between initial dose of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) in infants with cystic fibrosis (CF) and optimal weight gain over the first 2 years of life. METHODS: Using the CF Foundation Patient Registry, we identified 502 children born in 2010 and used multivariable models to compare as our primary analysis their 2-year changes in weight-for-age z score (WAZ) and as our secondary analysis weight-for-length percentile (W/L%) by initial PERT dose. We focused on initial dose without reference to subsequent changes in treatment to avoid confounding by indication (severity). RESULTS: Initial PERT dose demonstrated a linear relationship to change in WAZ and W/L% at age 2 years. An initial dose of >1500 lipase units/kg/largest meal resulted in a higher likelihood of attaining WAZ at 2 years at or above the birth WAZ (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22-2.86) and at the top quartile for improvement over 2 years in WAZ (aOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.19-3.05). There was no correlation between initial PERT dose and weight at initial PERT encounter (P = 0.35). Findings were similar for W/L% and when the cohort was restricted to infants who began PERT in the first 3 months of life. CONCLUSIONS: Infants receiving higher initial PERT dose demonstrate better weight-related outcomes, as reflected by attainment of favorable changes in WAZ and W/L%, at age 2 years.