Résumé
The aim of this study is to review the long-term outcomes of a series of patients with ventricular tachyarrhythmias who commenced empiric treatment with either amiodarone or sotalol in the period before electrophysiologic studies were used routinely at our institution. We compared these two class III drugs as first line therapy in survivors of sustained ventricular tachycardia or cardiac arrest. Between April 1987 and August 1992, 68 male patients (mean age 68 + ou - 11 years) who had either documted sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation, or syncope in the presence of underlying heart for 27-80 months (mean follow-up of 39 +/- 23 monts). The major findings in this retrospective, non-randomized study include: (1) no significant differences between sotalol and amiodarone groups with respect to total mortality, sudden death, or combined VT and sudden death: (2) a significantly higher incidence of recurrent non-fatal VT in the sotalol group; and (3) ageater incidence of adverse drug reactions in patients receiving sotalol therapy.