title: [The acute treatment of supraventricular tachycardia with endovenous amiodarone].
abstract: In the present study we evaluated 35 patients of both sexes, aged 21-84, with newly occurring supraventricular tachyarrhythmias, 19 atrial fibrillation (AF), 6 atrial flutter (FL) and 10 paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardias (PSVT). They were treated with a single amiodarone infusion up to two hours after the restoration of a stable sinus rhythm or to a maximus dose of 2,400 mg (in 24 hours). Plasma amiodarone concentration and QTc were measured at the restoration of sinus rhythm and twelve hours after the amiodarone withdrawal. Amiodarone infusion restored a stable sinus rhythm in all 10 patients of the PSVT group (100%), in 5 of the FL group (83%) and in 16 of the AF group (84%). The average dose needed to stop PSVT was lesser than for AF and FL (M + SE: 473.3 +/- 36.88 vs 1842.1 + 259.6 vs 1548.8 +/- 345.5 mg; p less than 0.001). The average plasma amiodarone concentration at the restoration of sinus rhythm was 2450.4 +/- 175.9 SE ng/ml in all the tachyarrhythmias as a whole without any statistically significant difference among PSVT, FL and AF. Moreover no correlation exists between plasma amiodarone concentrations and the amount of amiodarone infused. QTc showed a statistically significant transient lengthening at the restoration of sinus rhythm, but not twelve hours after amiodarone withdrawal. In conclusion, a single dose of amiodarone is effective and safe in all newly occurring supraventricular tachyarrhythmias, without any important side effect and with a high therapeutic index in pharmacologic cardioversion as alternative treatment to cardioversion.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Medicina Interna, Università di Torino, Ospedale San Vito.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Veglio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vietti Ramus
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Marchisio
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bonino
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Burzio
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bigo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leopaldi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ricco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008875:Middle Aged; D013614:Tachycardia, Paroxysmal / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000638:Amiodarone
vernacular_title: Trattamento acuto delle tachicardie sopraventricolari con amiodarone endovena.