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Intravenous antiarrhythmic therapy in the acute control of in-hospital destabilizing ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation
- Source :
- The American Journal of Cardiology. 84:46-51
- Publication Year :
- 1999
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 1999.
-
Abstract
- Ventricular tachycardia, which causes hemodynamic instability, and ventricular fibrillation do not occur frequently in any hospital. However, they usually occur in patients who have severe underlying cardiovascular disease such as myocardial ischemia/infarction or congestive heart failure, and they are associated with high mortality. Most of those deaths are due to an intractable arrhythmia, not suppressible with even the most potent antiarrhythmic drugs. Fortunately, during the last few years, our ability to suppress highly lethal ventricular arrhythmia has been enhanced by the approval of intravenous amiodarone. When used in appropriate patient populations, intravenous amiodarone has been successful in suppressing the most malignant arrhythmia, thus permitting aggressive and successful treatment of severe underlying cardiac conditions. This article reviews data on the use of parenteral antiarrhythmic drugs for the control of ventricular arrhythmia in patients in hospital, and will attempt to provide some guidance as to how these antiarrhythmic drugs may be used in specific patient populations to maximize their efficacy and safety. We will also make recommendations on the sequence of therapy for specific arrhythmias to optimize the chances of patient survival.
- Subjects :
- medicine.medical_specialty
Heart disease
medicine.medical_treatment
Amiodarone
Infarction
Antiarrhythmic agent
Ventricular tachycardia
Drug Administration Schedule
Internal medicine
medicine
Humans
cardiovascular diseases
Infusions, Intravenous
Fibrillation
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
business.industry
Hemodynamics
medicine.disease
Hospitalization
Anesthesia
Heart failure
Ventricular Fibrillation
Ventricular fibrillation
Tachycardia, Ventricular
cardiovascular system
Cardiology
medicine.symptom
Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
business
Anti-Arrhythmia Agents
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00029149
- Volume :
- 84
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- The American Journal of Cardiology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....35df851b18be2b8d36c3009519b4acd6