High dose oral amiodarone loading: electrophysiologic effects and clinical tolerance.

Although amiodarone is an effective drug for the treatment of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, no standard oral loading dose protocol has been defined, and patients often undergo prolonged hospitalization for amiodarone loading. High dose (greater than 1,800 mg/day) oral loading has usually been reserved for unstable patients with incessant ventricular tachyarrhythmias. The current study was designed to 1) examine the clinical and electrophysiologic effects of a high dose oral amiodarone loading regimen in more stable patients; and 2) ascertain its safety and tolerance, possibly allowing shortened amiodarone loading periods and potentially decreased length of hospital stay.

Intravenous amiodarone for short-term treatment of refractory ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation.

Intravenous amiodarone was administered to 22 patients with recurrent ventricular tachycardia failing an average of 3.0 prior antiarrhythmic agents after a mean of 14.6 cardioversions per patient.

Prospective community evaluation of the signal-averaged electrocardiogram in predicting malignant ventricular arrhythmias: beneficial outcome with electrophysiology guided therapy.

The role of the signal-averaged ECG was prospectively assessed in 517 patients in whom there was a suspicion for malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Patients were divided into Group I with a normal surface QRS width less than 120 ms (426 patients) and Group II with a prolonged QRS duration greater than or equal to 120 ms (91 patients). Late potentials were present in 42 (10%) Group I patients and in 24 (26%) Group II patients.

Benefits of intracardiac electrograms and programmable sensing polarity in preventing pacemaker inhibition due to spurious screw-in lead signals.

False inhibition of ventricular output due to spurious signals from a bipolar Oscor Medical lead (PY58BV) is reported following implantation of a Pacesetter Synchrony DDDR 2020T. Telemetered bipolar and distal unipolar intracardiac electrograms revealed 20 mV spurious signals coming from the distal screw-in electrode. Reprogramming the sensing channel to unipolar ring prevented inhibition of pacemaker output.

Benefit and risks of long-term amiodarone therapy for sustained ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation: minimum of three-year follow-up in 145 patients.

Our experience with amiodarone therapy in 145 consecutively referred patients with medically refractory sustained ventricular tachycardia and/or fibrillation treated for at least 3 years was reviewed. Ninety-seven had sustained ventricular tachycardia; the remaining 48 patients were survivors of sudden cardiac death. The patients had a mean of 3.