title: Use of amiodarone in the therapy of primary ventricular arrhythmias in children.
abstract: 4 children, ages 11-14 years, were diagnosed as having primary ventricular arrhythmias (3 ventricular tachycardia, 1 multifocal premature ventricular contractions) without underlying heart disease. All 4 patients were treated initially with standard antiarrhythmic drugs (quinidine, propranolol, procainamide) and either did not respond (3 patients) or experienced drug toxicity (quinidine - 1 patient) necessitating withdrawal of antiarrhythmic therapy. Amiodarone, a new antiarrhythmic agent, was initiated in a single oral daily dose of 10 mg/kg/day. All patients have shown a significant clinical response to oral amiodarone with either complete suppression of ventricular tachycardia in 2 patients, near complete suppression in 1 and abolition of multifocal premature ventricular contractions in the fourth patients. 2 patients have had corneal microdeposits detected by slitlamp examination and are receiving methylcellulose eye drops; no other adverse reactions have been encountered during the follow-up of 6 months to 3 years.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011802:Quinidine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D001572:Benzofurans; D011433:Propranolol; D011802:Quinidine; D000638:Amiodarone