Hemodynamic and antiarrhythmic effects of tocainide in patients with acute myocardial infarction

In order to evaluate the hemodynamic and antiarrhythmic efficacy of tocainide, studies were performed in patients suffering acute myocardial infarction. Intravenous tocainide was administered over a 15-minute period in order to determine its acute effects and subsequently, in a randomized double-blind study with placebo control, to determine its effects over a 24-hour period in acute myocardial infarction. Tocainide resulted in a significant decrease of frequent and complex ventricular arrhythmias acutely and had only minimal effects of hemodynamics in most patients. In the long-term studies, tocainide produced no adverse hemodynamic effects when compared with placebos.