These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Antiarrhythmic efficacy and tolerance of oral propafenone in patients with frequent ventricular arrhythmias: experience of a multicentre study.
    Author: Geibel A, Meinertz T, Zehender M, Vitak J, Hohnloser S, Kunz-Fritze A, Just H.
    Journal: Eur Heart J; 1989 Sep; 10 Suppl E():81-7. PubMed ID: 2680506.
    Abstract:
    In a multicentre study efficacy and safety of propafenone 450 mg day-1 and 750 mg day-1 was studied in 97 patients with frequent ventricular premature beats (VPB greater than 30 h-1). 70 patients suffered from organic heart disease, in 27 patients no organic heart disease was present during an initial work-up. After a 1-week washout period, all patients underwent 24 h Holter monitoring. Patients were then treated by propafenone 450 mg day-1 and controlled for 24 h Holter, ECG, blood pressure, blood chemistry and side-effects after 1 week of treatment. At this time, 35 patients were responders (reduction of VPB greater than 84%, of ventricular pairs greater than 90% and of ventricular tachycardia 100%). The mean reduction of VPB in all patients was 60%, of ventricular pairs 88% and of ventricular tachycardia 100%. When treatment was continued for 3 weeks 20/35 patients (56%) were still responders. The mean reduction of VPB was 83%. In 42 non-responders to 450 mg day-1 the dose was increased to 750 mg day-1. Of these patients, 17 (41%) became responders after 3 weeks of treatment; the mean reduction of VPB increased from 17% (first week, 450 mg day-1) to 63% (750 mg day-1). Ventricular pairs were reduced by 80%, ventricular tachycardia by 100%. Side-effects occurred in 11/97 patients and limited therapy in six patients. The most frequent complaints were dryness of the mouth, nausea, tiredness, headache and gastrointestinal upset. In conclusion, propafenone in a dose of 450-750 mg day-1 seems to be an effective and safe antiarrhythmic agent in the majority of patients.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]