Pulmonary complications in amiodarone treatment

Amiodarone is a widely used antiarrhythmic drug, however, not without numerous side-effects. One of them is a potentially adverse reaction upon the respiratory system which can assume the form of acute respiratory failure, interstitial pneumonitis, parenchymal infiltrates, pleural effusion or bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia. For this reason prior to the onset of the long-term amiodarone therapy initial chest x-ray and spirometry should be made and in the course of the treatment spirometry and radiological monitoring should be carried out. Helpful in diagnosing the side-effects of amiodarone use in relation to the respiratory system could also be plethysmography, evaluation of the diffusing capacity, Gallium scintigraphy and cancer-associated serum antigen (CASA). While planning a long-term amiodarone therapy one should consider the risk factors of the development of pulmonary complications and the necessity to use this drug should be connected with the activities aiming at an early diagnosis of the respiratory system dysfunctions.