There are no controlled clinical trials evaluating drug therapy in patients with ventricular arrhythmias and chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy. Empirical treatment with disopyramide (400-1, 1,000mg/d), phenytoin (4-6mg/d), mexiletine 600-1,200mg/d), propafenone (900mg/d), amiodarone (loading: 1,000mg/d, 10-14 days; maintenance 200-600mg/d), and sotalol (320mg/d) had efficacy and tolerance ranging...

Despite the recent advent of and the successful results from catheter ablation, pharmacological therapy is still used by most clinicians as the first line therapy in patients with regular supraventricular tachycardias. Before prescribing an antiarrhythmic agent, documentation of the arrhythmia using a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is necessary to identify the type of tachycardia. The ECG diag...

The incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in cardiac surgery is still high despite major advances in anesthetic, pharmacological and surgical techniques. Its precise mechanism is still totally unknown. Postoperative atrial fibrillation increases length of stay as well as hospital costs. Rate of postoperative atrial fibrillation spontaneous conversion is high. Several protocols have bee...

The human ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein, P-gp, MDR1), which is strongly related to multidrug resistance, is known for its high polyspecificity, thus binding a large number of structurally diverse molecules. The molecular basis of this polyspecificity in terms of binding site(s) is still not resolved and proposals range from a huge binding zone to up to seven distinct dr...

Although the sodium channel blocker mexiletine is considered the first-line drug in myotonia, some patients experiment adverse effects, while others do not gain any benefit. Other antimyotonic drugs are thus needed to offer mexiletine alternatives. In the present study, we used a previously-validated rat model of myotonia congenita to compare six marketed sodium channel blockers to mexiletine. ...

Brugada syndrome is a life threatening disease that is usually overlooked during emergency service admissions. It is characterized by typical electrocardiography resembling right bundle branch block, static or dynamic ST-segment elevation in leads V 1-3. There is familial tendency in some cases. A majority of patients have a structurally normal heart and are likely to remain asymptomatic, howev...