Treatment of ventricular arrhythmias with oral tocainide.

This is a report of a multicenter open study of the use of tocainide, a new lidocaine-like antiarrhythmic with a high oral bioavailability, in the treatment of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias refractory to other therapy. The majority of patients have received 1,200 to 2,400 mg daily in divided doses and have been treated for over 6 months and some for longer than 3 years. Overall, 61% of the patients responded successfully to tocainide therapy.

Safety evaluation of tocainide in the American Emergency Use Program.

This is a report of the safety evaluation of tocainide in the first 369 patients entered into the American Tocainide Emergency Use Program. This humanitarian protocol has made tocainide available for emergency use in the treatment of life-threatening, intractable ventricular arrhythmias in patients who were unresponsive to or unable to take the approved antiarrhythmic drugs. TAhe most frequent adverse experiences reported were neurologic and gastrointestinal in nature and included dizziness, lightheadedness, tremors, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia.

Pharmacokinetics of lidocaine in fetal and neonatal lambs and adult sheep.

The pharmacokinetics of lidocaine were studied in fetal and neonatal lambs and in pregnant and nonpregnant adult sheep. Catheters were implanted in the femoral vessels and in the urinary bladders of animals prepared for chronic study. Lidocaine, 5--10 mg/kg, was injected intravenously either into the fetus or newborn lamb or into nonpregnant adult sheep.