[Amiodarone for long-term treatment of ventricular arrhythmias]

As one of the causes of sudden cardiac death, recurrent ventricular arrhythmia represents a potentially life-threatening rhythm disorder. amiodarone is an effective anti-arrhythmic drug, the effectiveness of which is based on a prolongation of the action potential and thus a lengthening of the refractory period. In a multicenter, noncontrolled observational study of 482 patients aged between 21 and 89, it was found that amiodarone effectively suppressed life-threatening or crippling arrhythmias in a majority of the patients, even when they had previously been unresponsive to other anti-arrhythmic agents. Physical performance improved under the treatment. An analysis of the side effects observed revealed good tolerance at a low maintenance dose.