BACKGROUND In the Basel Antiarrhythmic Study of Infarct Survival trial, low-dose amiodarone improved 1-year survival in patients with asymptomatic complex ventricular arrhythmias persisting 2 weeks after myocardial infarction. To assess whether this beneficial effect persisted despite discontinuation of amiodarone after 1 year, the long-term outcomes of all patients of the amiodarone-treated gr...

Amiodarone is an iodinated benzofuran derivative that represents a new and extremely effective therapy for certain life-threatening refractory cardiac arrgythmia. There are numerous side effects associated with amiodarone therapy, including corneal microdeposits. Skin reactions and others. Pulmonary toxicity, however, represents the most serious adverse reaction limiting the clinical effecacy o...

Two patients in chronic renal failure receiving amiodarone for the treatment of refractory arrhythmias were commenced on dialysis, in one case, intermittent peritoneal dialysis, in the other, haemodialysis. Plasma concentrations of amiodarone and its desethyl metabolite were consistent with the dose received, whilst neither compound was recovered in the dialysate. In these patients and in 10 ad...

Amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction has been reported to affect 2-24% of users. Despite the easy management of amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism, the development of thyrotoxicosis leads to a difficult approach in most cases. The aim of this study is to describe three different cases of patients with amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis and discuss the clinical and laboratorial aspects, and the ...

Amiodarone-induced thryrotoxicosis (AIT) is a rare but serious complication of amiodarone use, especially in patients with severe cardiac disease. We present a patient who developed AIT, following administration of amiodarone for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. We discuss the medical management of AIT and anesthetic considerations for management of patients with thyrotoxicosis and sev...

Three patients developed peripheral neuropathy after taking amiodarone for more than 18 months. All had high serum concentrations of amiodarone and its desethyl metabolite; in one patient concentrations in a sural nerve biopsy were 80 times higher than in serum. Peripheral neuropathy is a complication of large doses of amiodarone taken over long periods.

The antiarrhythmic effects of amiodarone and verapamil were compared in 19 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy complicated by refractory arrhythmias. While verapamil did not reduce the incidence of arrhythmia, amiodarone abolished ventricular tachycardia in 10 of 13 patients and significantly reduced the number of ventricular extrasystoles. In addition, sinus rhythm was restored by amioda...

Amiodarone-induced angioedema: Amiodarone-induced angioedema: Amiodarone-induced angioedema: Amiodarone-induced angioedema: Amiodarone-induced angioedema: Report of two cases Report of two cases Report of two cases Report of two cases Report of two cases Sir, Amiodarone, a class II long-acting anti-arrhythmic, capable of blocking both α and β-adrenoceptors is an iodine-containing highly lipophi...

OBJECTIVES This randomized double-blind study compared the efficacy and safety of intravenous vernakalant and amiodarone for the acute conversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). BACKGROUND Intravenous vernakalant has effectively converted recent-onset AF and was well tolerated in placebo-controlled studies. METHODS A total of 254 adult patients with AF (3 to 48 h duration) eligibl...

Amiodarone is a potent class III anti-arrhythmic drug used in clinical practice for the prophylaxis and treatment of many cardiac rhythm disturbances, ranging from paroxismal atrial fibrillation to life threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Amiodarone often causes changes in thyroid function tests mainly related to the inhibition of 5'-deiodinase activity resulting in a decrease in the gene...