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Amiodarone treatment in patients with ventricular arrhythmias
Insights
Amiodarone effectively treats ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation by prolonging the heart
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Amiodarone is a Class III antiarrhythmic agent.
- Its effects on electrophysiological parameters are compared to Class I agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the antiarrhythmic efficacy of amiodarone.
- To assess amiodarone's effects on ventricular arrhythmias.
Main Methods:
- 196 patients with recurrent ventricular arrhythmias received amiodarone therapy.
- Electrophysiological parameters and clinical outcomes were monitored.
Main Results:
- Amiodarone prolonged the right ventricular effective refractory period and HV interval.
- 139 patients experienced no recurrence of ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation.
- Sudden cardiac death occurred in 15 patients.
Conclusions:
- Amiodarone is an effective therapy for patients with ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation.
- The drug demonstrates significant antiarrhythmic properties in patients with heart disease.
Abstract:
Amiodarone has been used in the therapy of supraventricular and ventricular tachycardia, and has often been categorised as a class III rather than a class I agent. However, in patients with ventricular arrhythmias, amiodarone 800mg daily for 14 days prolonged the right ventricular effective refractory period by a mean of 18.8 msec (p less than 0.05), and HV interval by a mean of 5.2 msec (p less than 0.05), these changes being similar to those noted with drugs such as quinidine, procainamide, disopyramide and encainide. The antiarrhythmic efficacy of amiodarone was evaluated in 196 patients with recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia, recurrent ventricular fibrillation or recurrent nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. Coronary artery disease, dilated (congestive) cardiomyopathy, or other forms of heart disease were present in most patients. After 1 month of therapy, 177 patients continued to receive amiodarone and, during the remainder of the follow-up period, 139 patients had no recurrence of spontaneous ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Sudden cardiac death occurred in 15 patients after a mean treatment period of 10.4 months. Overall, amiodarone was an effective form of therapy in patients with ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation.