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[Development of anti-arrhythmic drugs]
Archivos Del Instituto De Cardiologia De Mexico
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Antiarrhythmic therapy evolved from empirical data to understanding ionic currents for targeted treatments. This knowledge guides drug selection based on specific arrhythmia mechanisms like circus movement, reentry, and ectopic foci.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Electrophysiology
Background:
- Historical development of antiarrhythmic therapy.
- Shift from empirical data to electrophysiologic studies.
- Current understanding based on ionic currents and cellular potentials.
Observation:
- Early antiarrhythmic treatment relied on empirical observations, exemplified by quinidine's introduction.
- Electrophysiologic studies advanced the understanding of cellular mechanisms.
- Arrhythmias are categorized into circus movement, reentry, and ectopic foci.
Findings:
- Modern antiarrhythmic drug selection is based on direct knowledge of ionic currents.
- Drugs are chosen for their specific effects on ionic movements.
- Therapeutic strategies target distinct arrhythmia mechanisms.
Implications:
- Prolonging myocardial refractory period for circus movement arrhythmias.
- Enlarging local block for reentry arrhythmias.
- Flattening prepotential or depressing systolic depolarization for ectopic foci arrhythmias.