PMID- 11862254
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20191120
IS  - 1536-3686 (Electronic)
IS  - 1075-2765 (Linking)
VI  - 3
IP  - 3
DP  - 1996 Mar
TI  - Is the Degree of Arrhythmia Suppression a Predictor of Survival?
PG  - 225-228
AB  - The effectiveness of an antiarrhythmic drug is judged by the degree of 
      ventricular arrhythmia (VA) suppression. We evaluated the relationship between 
      the degree of VA suppression and survival in a dose-adjusted trial of 110 
      symptomatic patients treated with amiodarone. Cohorts had left-ventricular 
      ejection fraction (LVEF) of 41 plus minus 18%, ventricular premature contractions 
      (VPCs) of 445 plus minus 571 h, couplets (C) of 733 plus minus 1498 24 h and 
      nonsustained (N) ventricular tachycardia (VT) of 65 plus minus 217 24 h; these 
      conditions were followed for 15 plus minus 11.5 months. Amiodarone was initiated 
      with an oral loading of 670 plus minus 111.7 mg per day for 10 days and continued 
      on maintenance of 274.9 plus minus 102 mg per day. Survival rates of responders 
      and nonresponders with VPCs <70%, 70--89%, greater-than-or-equal90%; C 
      greater-than-or-equal 90%; NVT (100%); and the response to all 3 criteria 
      (suppresion of VPCs greater-than-or-equal70%, C greater-than-or-equal 90% and 
      complete abolition of NVT) were not statistically significant. Survival rates as 
      a function of LVEF <40% (51 patients) or greater-than-or-equal40% (59 patients), 
      as well as responders or nonresponders to all three criteria, were not 
      significant (p = NS). We conclude that, in patients treated with low-dose 
      amiodarone, the degree of VA suppression of PVCs, C and NVT does not predict 
      survival; the survival of patients with LVEF <40% improved irrespective of VA 
      suppression; and criteria for VA suppression should be reassessed at lower levels 
      of suppression for the improvement of the drug risk:benefit ratio. More 
      improvement is not necessarily better.
FAU - Kerin, Nicholas Z
AU  - Kerin NZ
AD  - Section of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Medicine, Sinai Hospital and 
      Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.
FAU - Faitel, Kathy
AU  - Faitel K
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - United States
TA  - Am J Ther
JT  - American journal of therapeutics
JID - 9441347
EDAT- 1996/03/01 00:00
MHDA- 2002/02/28 10:00
CRDT- 1996/03/01 00:00
PHST- 1996/03/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2002/02/28 10:00 [medline]
PHST- 1996/03/01 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1097/00045391-199603000-00008 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Am J Ther. 1996 Mar;3(3):225-228. doi: 10.1097/00045391-199603000-00008.