PMID: 2488092Jan 1, 1989Paper

Arrhythmia prophylaxis after acute myocardial infarction: a decade of controversy

Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy
D C Harrison

Abstract

Primary ventricular fibrillation continues to be a major complication of acute myocardial infarction occurring in 5-9% of patients in the coronary care unit and in a higher percentage of pre-hospital admissions. Prophylactic anti-arrhythmic drugs can prevent primary ventricular fibrillation. Lidocaine has been used for this purpose and can be administered safely and effectively in most patients by following well-established programs based on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data. The in-hospital mortality for patients with primary ventricular fibrillation exceeds that of matched controls not having the arrhythmia, and many studies show a higher 1-, 3-, and 5-year mortality. Other studies have failed to confirm these long-term results and have produced controversy among cardiologists. I continue to recommend prophylactic antiarrhythmic drugs for all patients with acute infarction, especially in those undergoing early interventional therapy.

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Citations

Aug 22, 2015·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·Arturo J Martí-CarvajalShrikant Bangdiwala
Aug 19, 2011·American Journal of Law & Medicine·Coleen Klasmeier, Martin H Redish

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