The assessment of antidysrhythmic drugs

Assessments of efficacy of antidysrhythmic drugs at different clinical arrhythmia centers frequently produce discordant data, probably because of differences in patient population, technology to assess efficacy, study design, and concomitant drugs such as digitalis, diuretics, beta-adrenergic blocking agents, and calcium channel blockers. Furthermore, different doses employed may greatly influence the toxicity and efficacy of both conventional and experimental antiarrhythmic drugs. These variables make the design of studies in the field of antiarrhythmic therapy both difficult and of critical importance. The serious and complex nature of the disease entity against which these drugs are directed constitutes a considerable public health problem which requires that the problems be addressed in a definite and timely way.