title: Treatment of recurrent ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation with aprindine.
abstract: Twenty-three patients with recurrent ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, or both, were treated with aprindine, a new antiarrhythmic agent. It was found that: (1) no patient had a recurrence of ventricular fibrillation after aprindine therapy was begun, except as a terminal event subsequent to the development of acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock or refractory congestive heart failure; (2) 6 patients experienced ventricular tachycardia after the loading dose, but with continued aprindine therapy the ventricular tachycardia was suppressed in 3 of these 6 patients, and a fourth patient was asymptomatic during brief paroxysms of ventricular tachycardia; (3) in 2 patients, aprindine was ineffective and was discontinued; (4) electrical cardioversion was not required in any patient receiving aprindine; (5) premature ventricular extrasystoles were decreased in 18 of the 23 patients treated with aprindine; (6) aprindine was discontinued in 1 patient because of intolerable side effects, although ventricular arrhythmias were suppressed in this patient; and (7) 5 patients died from acute myocardial infarction or severe heart failure while receiving aprindine.
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001073:Aprindine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005117:Cardiac Complexes, Premature / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007192:Indenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D007192:Indenes; D001073:Aprindine