title: Long term lorcainide therapy guided by electrophysiology studies.
abstract: One hundred patients inducible at electrophysiologic studies underwent serial drug testing with procainamide, lidocaine and lorcainide to determine comparative efficacy. Acute intravenous administration was followed by repeat programmed electrical stimulation (PES) studies on separate days for each antiarrhythmic drug. Lorcainide prevented VT induction in 69% of the 100 patients studied, procainamide was effective in 50% of the 75 patients studied, and lidocaine prevented VT induction in 30% of 53 patients. Following PES and serial drug testing, 46 patients were started on lorcainide, 9 patients on procainamide, and 45 patients were started on other antiarrhythmic drug regimens. Seventy percent of the patients have remained on lorcainide therapy, while 47% have continued on other drug therapies started over a 20.5 +/- 3.2 month mean follow-up period. Despite sleep-wake disturbances and a need for sedation at night, lorcainide therapy was tolerated well in this population and remained an effective antiarrhythmic with prolonged administration.
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044482:Benzeneacetamides; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010880:Piperidines / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011342:Procainamide / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D044482:Benzeneacetamides; D010880:Piperidines; D008012:Lidocaine; C015970:lorcainide; D011342:Procainamide