Effect of amiodarone on coronary reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias in dogs
Lo, H.M.; Lin, F.Y.; Chiang, F.T.; Tseng, C.D.; Tseng, Y.Z.; Wu, T.L.
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association 85(12): 1110-1116
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0371-7682 PMID: 3469318 Document Number: 277206
To investigate the effects of amiodarone on the ventricular arrhythmias induced by coronary artery reperfusion, 19 dogs were subjected to 30 minutes of left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery occlusion followed by reperfusion. Nine of these dogs received continuous intravenous infusion of amiodarone (5 mg/kg/hr) for 50 minutes starting from 10 minutes before LAD occlusion until 10 minutes fter reperfusion. The remaining 10 dogs received saline infusion and served as control. The results showed that 9 of the control dogs (90%) had ventricular tachycardia (VT) upon reperfusion while 4 of the amiodarone group (44%) had reperfusion VT (0.02 < P < 0.05). On the other hand, 5 of the control group (50%) and 4 of the amiodarone group (44%) developed reperfusion ventricular fibrillation (VF) (P > 0.05). This dose of amiodarone was shown to slow the canine heart rate significantly. Before the drug was gvien, the heart rate was 176 .+-. 9 bpm (mean .+-. SE). Ten minutes later, just prior to LAD occlusion, the heart rate decreasedto 143 .+-. 16 bpm (0.001 < P < 0.01) and 30 minutes after LAD occlusion, the heart rate further decreased to 110 .+-. 12 bpm (0.001 < P < 0.01). We conclude that amiodarone is ineffective in preventing the perfusion VF, while it decreases significantly the incidence of reperfusion VT in dog.