Oral flecainide for the treatment of drug-resistant ventricular ectopy.
Flecainide acetate was administered at a dose of 100 mg twice daily to 15 patients with drug-resistant ventricular ectopy. Eleven patients had evidence of organic heart disease. Left ventricular function was normal in 13 patients, and 2 patients had mild and moderate left ventricular dysfunction respectively. All patients underwent a control (off drugs) and a flecainide Holter ECG. Flecainide suppressed ventricular ectopy by greater than 70% in 13 patients (86.6%), suppressed bigeminal beats by greater than 90% in 13 (86.6%), suppressed ventricular couplets by greater than 90% in 12 of 14 patients (85.7%), and completely suppressed runs of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia in 6 of 9 patients (66.6%). In only one patient who showed a 69% suppression of ventricular ectopy did ventricular couplets increase. No side effects of the drug were noted. We conclude that flecainide at a dose of 100 mg twice daily is highly effective in suppressing ventricular ectopy that is resistant to other anti-arrhythmic agents.
Massada Center for Heart Diseases, Beilinson Medical Center, Petah Tikvah, Israel.
B
B
Strasberg
S
S
Stein
S
S
Sclarovsky
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005117:Cardiac Complexes, Premature / Q000188:drug therapy; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D005424:Flecainide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D005424:Flecainide