title: Flecainide prevents catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in mice and humans.
abstract: Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a potentially lethal inherited arrhythmia syndrome in which drug therapy is often ineffective. We discovered that flecainide prevents arrhythmias in a mouse model of CPVT by inhibiting cardiac ryanodine receptor-mediated Ca(2+) release and thereby directly targeting the underlying molecular defect. Flecainide completely prevented CPVT in two human subjects who had remained highly symptomatic on conventional drug therapy, indicating that this currently available drug is a promising mechanism-based therapy for CPVT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Nagesh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chopra
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Laver
authors.forename: Hyun Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Sean S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Roach
authors.forename: Henry J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Duff
authors.forename: Dan M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Roden
authors.forename: Arthur A M
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Wilde
authors.forename: Björn C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Knollmann