The complex profile of amiodarone actions on the electrophysiological properties of cardiac cells reviewed in this article may be summarized as follows. As acute effects, amiodarone inhibits both inward and outward currents. The inhibition of inward Na+ and Ca2+ currents is enhanced in a use- and voltage-dependent manner, resulting in suppression of excitability and conductivity in both iNa- an...

AIM To determine the clinical features of amiodarone induced optic neuropathy, which may help distinguish it from non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy. METHODS Retrospective observational case series of patients diagnosed with amiodarone induced optic neuropathy at the neuro-ophthalmology service from March 1998 to February 2001. Amiodarone was discontinued after discussion with ...

The effects of long term treatment with oral amiodarone on retrograde conduction ( S2H2 interval) and refractoriness of the His-Purkinje system were studied in 11 patients using His bundle electrograms and the ventricular extrastimulus method. Ten patients had ventricular tachycardia and one supraventricular tachycardia. Electrophysiological studies were carried out before and after the patient...

Amiodarone is a widely used class III antiarrhythmic agent which prolongs the action potential and refractory period by blockage of several types of myocardial potassium channels. Emerging evidence suggests that amiodarone sensitize tumor cells in response to chemotherapy. Nevertheless, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanism. To gain further insight, we demonstrated that amiod...

BACKGROUND Clinical experience suggests that combinations of antiarrhythmic agents provide more effective control of ventricular tachyarrhythmias than does therapy with single agents. METHODS AND RESULTS Antiarrhythmic and electrophysiological effects of three class I antiarrhythmic agents, one from each subclass A, B, and C, were assessed in single use and in combination with amiodarone in p...

OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate 1) the cost-effectiveness of amiodarone therapy in postinfarction patients; and 2) the influence of alternative diagnostic strategies (noninvasive only vs. noninvasive and electrophysiologic testing) on survival benefit and cost-effectiveness ratio of amiodarone therapy. BACKGROUND The cost-effectiveness of amiodarone therapy in postinfarction patients is stil...

Introduction: Amiodarone is one of drug with narrow therapeutics index. This medicine was metabolized by CYP3A4 and CYP2C8. The changes in the activity this enzymes CYP2C8 polymorphism will affect effect. study aimed to determine impact on amiodarone responses. Method: review article search PubMed keywords: ‘amiodarone’ ‘polymorphism CYP3A4’ CYP2C8’. Results: We collect 46 references Conclusion...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of amiodarone on neurochemical parameters of sympathetic nervous activity in patients with congestive heart failure. BACKGROUND Unlike most antiarrhythmic agents, amiodarone has been shown to exert a beneficial effect on survival in some studies of patients with congestive heart failure. The pharmacology of this agent is co...

BACKGROUND The basis for the unique effectiveness of long-term amiodarone treatment on cardiac arrhythmias is incompletely understood. The present study investigated the pharmacogenomic profile of amiodarone on genes encoding ion-channel subunits. METHODS AND RESULTS Adult male mice were treated for 6 weeks with vehicle or oral amiodarone at 30, 90, or 180 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1). Plasma and myoc...

AIM To assess the safety and efficacy of amiodarone used after unsuccessful direct current (DC) cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS The study group comprised 67 patients (F/M 26/41; mean age 61.3+/-11.2 years) after unsuccessful DC cardioversion (DCC) of persistent AF (mean arrhythmia duration 212.6+/-135.2 days) in whom another attempt of DCC was intended. Repeat DC...