Adenosine in treating cardiac arrhythmias.
1. Adenosine is an endogenous nucleoside which causes a brief blockade of the AV nodal conduction pathway following intravenous administration. 2. Such a brief AV block can be used therapeutically for reliable termination of AV nodal re-entry tachycardia and WPW re-entry tachycardia. It can also be used for demasking atrial activity in rapid suspected supraventricular tachycardia with a broad QRS complex or a Delta wave, not present during sinus rhythm with normal AV node conduction, indicating the presence of a hidden WPW syndrome. 3. Side effects after adenosine application are frequent, but very transient rarely serious (1-3% of cases, e.g. status asthmaticus, ventricular fibrillation) and therefore require a certain degree of experience with this drug on the part of the treating physician.
Zehender
M
M
Universitätsklinik Freiburg, Germany.
Jeron
A
A
Faber
T
T
Brunner
M
M
Just
H
H
D000241:Adenosine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001283:Atrioventricular Node / Q000187:drug effects; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006327:Heart Block; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D013611:Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry / Q000188:drug therapy; D013613:Tachycardia, Ectopic Junctional / Q000188:drug therapy; D013614:Tachycardia, Paroxysmal / Q000188:drug therapy; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000175:diagnosis; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis; D014927:Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy
D000241:Adenosine