Amiodarone Is Relatively Ineffective for Converting Stable VT

Amiodarone is effective in only 29% of patients at 1 hour.

The 2005 Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines recommend intravenous amiodarone (150 mg during 10 minutes) as first-line therapy for patients with sustained stable ventricular tachycardia (VT) with or without heart failure. To assess the efficacy of this regimen, these authors reviewed the charts of 41 consecutive patients with sustained stable VT who were treated with a bolus dose of 300 mg of IV amiodarone at a single coronary care unit in England from 2003 through 2006.

Eighty-five percent of patients had ischemic heart disease and heart failure. Pharmacologic termination of VT occurred within 20 minutes in 15% of patients and within 1 hour in 29% of patients. Seventeen percent of patients experienced hemodynamic deterioration t…

Reviewing Author

Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, FACEP

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardSecurisyn

Editorial boardsThe Merck Manuals (Home and Physician Editions)

Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, FACEP

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardSecurisyn

Editorial boardsThe Merck Manuals (Home and Physician Editions)