BACKGROUND Amiodarone is frequently used in emergency departments for treatment of arrhythmias. Incidence of several amiodarone-related adverse events is unknown. The literature is sparse for potentially life-threatening adverse effects of amiodarone. CASE REPORT We present a case of a male patient who presented with chest discomfort and rapid atrial fibrillation. He was known to have paroxys...

STUDY OBJECTIVES To compare the cost-effectiveness of intravenous plus oral amiodarone, atrial septal pacing, and both strategies combined to prevent atrial fibrillation after open heart surgery. Secondary objectives were to compare the cost-effectiveness of amiodarone versus no amiodarone and of pacing versus no pacing, and to compare hospitalization costs of the various strategies. DESIGN P...

AIMS Amiodarone is used commonly for pharmacological cardioversion of atrial fibrillation (AF), but it is limited by moderate efficacy and delayed action. Ranolazine and amiodarone are markedly synergistic in suppressing experimental AF in vitro, yet the clinical efficacy of ranolazine combined with amiodarone for AF conversion has only undergone minimal investigation. This prospective, single-...

Amiodarone, bi-iodinated benzofuran derivative, is one of the most frequently prescribed and efficacious antiarrhythmic drugs. Despite its low incidence, amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity is of great concern and the leading cause of discontinuation. Autophagy is an essential homeostatic process that mediates continuous recycling of intracellular materials when nutrients are scarce. It eithe...

OBJECTIVE To assess the vasodilating effects of amiodarone on canine coronary arteries by using solutions of amiodarone dissolved in polysorbate 80 or water. METHODS Rings of coronary arteries, with or without intact endothelium, were immersed in Krebs solution and connected to a transducer for measuring the isometric force promoted by a vascular contraction. The arteries were exposed to incr...

INTRODUCTION The effect of oral amiodarone therapy on defibrillation energy requirements in patients with an implantable defibrillator has not been established. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-one consecutive patients with implantable biphasic waveform defibrillators underwent a step-down determination of the defibrillation energy requirement 211 +/- 12 days before and 73 +/- 22 days after initiat...

Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic drug indicated in the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias. Early studies evaluating amiodarone for the management of ventricular arrhythmias demonstrated the efficacy of amiodarone in patients who were refractory to treatment with multiple antiarrhythmic drugs. More recently, 2 major trials, published in 1999 and 2002, described the efficacy of amiodarone as a p...

Amiodarone is a benzofuran derivative that contains up to 40% of iodine. Amiodarone is used for treatment and prevention of life threatening supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. The effects on thyroid gland vary from abnormalities in thyroid function tests to overt amiodarone induced hypothyroidism (AIH) and thyrotoxicosis (AIT). Patients with AIH are treated with L-thyroxine and ...

32 Veglia L, Scandiffio T, Guerricchio G. "Torsioni di punta" e amiodarone. G Ital Cardiol 1978;8:1025. 33 McComb JM, Logan KR, Khan MM, Geddes JS, Adgey AAJ. Amiodarone-induced ventricular fibrillation. EurJ Cardiol 1980;11:381-5. 34 Bashour T, Jokhadar M, Cheng TO. Effective management of the long Q-T syndrome with amiodarone. Chest 1981 ;79:704-6. 35 Groh WC Jr, Kastor JA, Josephson ME, Horo...

BACKGROUND The basis of the unique effectiveness of amiodarone for atrial fibrillation (AF) is poorly understood. The present study tested the hypothesis that amiodarone blocks electrical remodeling induced by atrial tachycardia. METHODS AND RESULTS Mongrel dogs were subjected to atrial tachycardia (400 bpm for 7 days) in the absence and presence of therapy with amiodarone, the class III card...