Antiarrhythmic effect of tiapamil in patients with acute myocardial infarction

The efficacy of intravenously administered tiapamil in treating premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) in the acute phase of acute myocardial infarction was evaluated in 20 patients using 24-hour continuous ECG monitoring (Holter). All patients presented frequent and/or complex ventricular arrhythmias (Lown classification II-V). Tiapamil reduced the number of PVCs to a statistically highly significant degree (p less than 0.01), i.e. 82-85% in the 4th hour of treatment. The number of PVCs increased again after therapy was discontinued. Where supraventricular ectopic beats were present in addition to PVCs, tiapamil reduced them by 93% in the 3rd and 4th hours of treatment. These results suggest that tiapamil could be an effective antiarrhythmic agent in acute myocardial infarction.