title: Efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of a concentration-maintaining regimen of intravenous pirmenol.
abstract: A 3-stage, concentration-maintaining intravenous infusion regimen of pirmenol, a new antiarrhythmic agent, was tested for efficacy and safety in 8 subjects with chronic, stable premature ventricular beats. The regimen, which consisted of (1) a priming bolus of 50 mg over 2 minutes, followed by (2) a rapid loading infusion of 2.5 mg/min for 1 hour, and (3) a maintenance infusion of 0.25 mg/min, rapidly achieved and maintained stable plasma pirmenol levels from 0.94 to 2.75 micrograms/ml, during infusions lasting up to 48 hours. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated during 4-hour infusions in 5 patients utilizing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. Pirmenol suppressed average premature ventricular beat frequency 93 +/- 6% compared with control values (p = 0.03). Pirmenol infusions were unassociated with toxicity. There were slight but significant increases in diastolic blood pressure, QRS duration, and corrected Q-T interval. No significant changes occurred in systolic blood pressure, heart rate, P-R interval, or laboratory variables. Pirmenol is a promising therapeutic agent that warrants further evaluation. The 3-stage infusion satisfactorily achieves and maintains therapeutic plasma pirmenol levels.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D010880:Piperidines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D010880:Piperidines; C024318:pirmenol