title: [Effect of amiodarone on signal-averaged and long-term ECG].
abstract: This prospective study examined the influence of long-term amiodarone therapy on the parameters of the signal-averaged ECG and their relation to simultaneously derived Holter monitoring data. For this purpose, 23 patients with angiographically confirmed dilated cardiomyopathy or coronary heart disease and high-grade ventricular arrhythmias, in whom an average of four class I antiarrhythmic drugs had proven ineffective, were stabilized on amiodarone. Before the beginning of therapy, as well as after 2 months and, subsequently, every 3 months, a resting ECG, a signal-averaged ECG by Simson's method, and Holter monitoring were performed. Compared to the initial measurement, we found a significant increase in the duration of the total filtered QRS complex from an average of 114 +/- 24 ms to 127 +/- 35 ms, while the change in voltage did not reach the significance level. The incidence of late potentials remained largely constant under amiodarone; 10 patients showed a constant late potential, 12 patients had no late potential, and one patient with coronary heart disease developed a new late potential. In the long-term follow-up, we ascertained a relatively high responder rate under amiodarone between 41% and 81%. No relation could be detected between the results of the signal-averaged ECG and those of 24-h Holter monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität München.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goedel-Meinen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maier-Rudolph
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barthel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schrag
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Baedeker
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Blömer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005117:Cardiac Complexes, Premature / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000188:drug therapy; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000638:Amiodarone
vernacular_title: Einfluss von Amiodaron auf Signalmittelungs- und Langzeit-EKG.