title: [Pulmonary toxicity due to amiodarone].
abstract: Two patients with coronary heart disease and previous myocardial infarction, treated with amiodarone for severe ventricular arrhythmias, developed pulmonary toxicity. The first developed pulmonary complications after 1 year of therapy at the maintenance dose of 300 mg/day, and the second after 4 months at 200 mg/day and 3 weeks at 400 mg/day. In the first patient, whose chest X-ray mainly showed interstitial infiltrates which resolved within more than 2 months after drug withdrawal, steroid therapy was administered. In the second patient, whose chest X-ray showed a pattern of pulmonary edema, the symptoms and signs resolved more rapidly after drug withdrawal and without steroid therapy. We suggest 2 distinct types of pulmonary toxicity in our patients. After withdrawal of amiodarone in the second patient the management of refractory ventricular arrhythmias was troublesome.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Cardiologia, Ospedale S Anna, Como.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Politi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrari
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000150:complications; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011859:Radiography; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000638:Amiodarone
vernacular_title: Tossicità polmonare da amiodarone.