Efficacy of amiodarone therapy for ventricular tachycardia: role of electrophysiologic study

ABSTRACT

Amiodarone is an effective antiarrhythmic agent for treating recurrent ventricular tachyarrhythmia [VT]. It has been suggested that despite failure to suppress initiation of VT, amiodarone frequently prevents recurrent clinical episodes, hence electrophysiologic testing is of little value in evaluation of long-term amiodarone therapy. Sixty-four patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia [VT-S] continuously treated with amiodarone were studied. Electrophysiologic study was done in 61 patients. It was found that in patients with VT-S with or without VF refractory to other antiarrhythmic agents, amiodarone proved to be highly effective in preventing VT-S or VF. Electrophysiologic testing was effective in determining the success of chronic therapy, and complications necessitating discontinuation of the drug occurred in 8%