title: Amiodarone supplants lidocaine in ACLS and CPR protocols.
abstract: Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic medication used to treat and prevent certain types of serious, life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Amiodarone gained slow acceptance outside the specialized field of cardiac antiarrhythmic surgery because the side-effects are significant. Recent adoption of amiodarone in the ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) protocol has somewhat popularized this class of antiarrhythmics. Its use is slowly expanding in the acute medicine setting of anesthetics. This article summarizes the use of Amiodarone by anesthesiologists in the operating room and during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, San Raffaele Hospital, "Vita e Salute" University, Milan, Italy. anna.mizzi@alice.it
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mizzi
authors.forename: Thanh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Devanand
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mangar
authors.forename: Enrico M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Camporesi
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D022561:Advanced Cardiac Life Support / Q000379:methods*; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001949:Bretylium Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013903:Thoracic Surgery
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D001949:Bretylium Compounds; D008012:Lidocaine; D000638:Amiodarone