title: [Drug therapy of ventricular tachycardia].
abstract: For the emergency treatment of sustained, hemodynamically stable ventricular tachycardia, antiarrhythmic drugs are the therapy of choice. Mostly class I antiarrhythmic drugs, such as lidocaine or ajmaline, are preferred. In hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia, electrical cardioversion should be applied, in case of recurrences, followed by pharmacological treatment with class I antiarrhythmic drugs or amiodarone. For the primary prevention of sudden cardiac death, beta-blockers and/or amiodarone are the only effective drugs. In the secondary prevention, only the implantable cardioverter/defibrillator has proved to improve the prognosis of the patients.
authors.affiliation: Med. Klinik III, St. Vincentiuskrankenhäuser, Edgar-von-Gierke-Str. 2, D-76135 Karlsruhe.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Gonska
mesh_terms: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D012008:Recurrence; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents