Safety and efficacy of oral sotalol for sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias refractory to other antiarrhythmic agents.

The safety and efficacy of oral sotalol were evaluated in 481 patients with drug-refractory sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT) in an open-label multicenter study. After drug-free baseline evaluations, therapy was initiated at 80 mg every 12 hours, with upward dose titrations of 160 mg/day being allowed at intervals of 72 hours to a maximum dose of 480 mg every 12 hours. Efficacy determinations were made by either programmed electrical stimulation (PES) or Holter monitoring responses.

Case report: nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in a patient with a pacemaker.

The presence of a pacemaker has been considered a contraindication for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. The authors describe a patient with a pacemaker who underwent MRI of the head without sequelae. Spine-echo MRI was preformed with 1.

Interference by antiarrhythmic agents with function of electrical cardiac devices.

The possible interference of drugs with the function of implanted electrical cardiac devices in two patients is described, and the literature on the interaction between these drugs and devices is reviewed. A 59-year-old woman had a permanent pacemaker implanted after diagnosis of tachycardia-bradycardia syndrome, and her drug regimen of digoxin, verapamil, and warfarin was supplemented with flecainide to prevent paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. A Holter monitor recording performed after five days of flecainide therapy showed the pacemaker was sensing and pacing normally.