Clinical predictors of arrhythmia worsening by antiarrhythmic drugs

Aggravation of ventricular arrhythmia is a serious, potentially lethal, side effect that can occur with all antiarrhythmic agents. The purpose of this retrospective case-controlled study was to identify clinically useful parameters that would predict aggravation of arrhythmia. Patients in whom arrhythmia worsened while taking either quinidine, mexiletine or encainide were selected and matched to 2 similar patients who never developed this drug complication with any antiarrhythmic tested. A number of hemodynamic, electrophysiologic and pharmacologic parameters were compared. Only the presenting arrhythmia and a left ventricular ejection fraction less than 35% identified patients at risk for drug-induced aggravation of arrhythmia. Patients who presented with either sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation were 3.4 times more likely to have arrhythmia aggravation compared with patients presenting with nonsustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular premature beats. Patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction less than 35% were 2.2 times more likely to develop this drug complication compared with patients with an ejection fraction greater than 35%. There was no association between other clinical parameters, electrocardiographic intervals, ventricular arrhythmia density, drug dose or drug levels and aggravation of arrhythmia. In addition, drug aggravation to 1 drug did not predict its occurrence with another drug of the same class. Patients with a history of a sustained ventricular arrhythmia, especially when left ventricular dysfunction is present, are at high risk for the development of aggravation of arrhythmia.