PMID: 7337481Jul 1, 1981Paper

Clinical study of a new anti-arrhythmic drug: propafenon. Short and long-term results

Archivos del Instituto de Cardiología de México
J A Ruipércz AbizandaF Pico Aracil

Abstract

Fifty patients with atrio-ventricular arrhythmias were treated with the new antiarrhythmic drug propaferon. A dose of 70 mg (1-1.5 mg/kg), was injected slowly into a vein (2-3 min), in 16 cases. In the other 34 cases a dose of 450-900 mg/24 hours was given orally. Propafenon is a drug which acts on the permeability of the membrane and also as a local anaesthetic. Its efficiency has been demonstrated in the treatment of arrhythmias. In our series, ventricular arrhythmias were suppressed in 76.8% of the cases (33 patients), while the ventricular extrasystoles were reduced in 18.6% of the cases (8 patients). There was no action in 4.6% of the cases (2 patients). The drug was not useful in the treatment of atrial arrhythmias. Unwanted side-effects (arterial hypotension, conduction disorders, etc.), were not seen when intravenous doses of less than 2 mg/kg, were administered. However, electrocardiographic changes (widening of the QRS, prolongation of the PQ interval, etc.), were observed in those patients who received doses greater than 450 mg/24 hours. In these patients, there was a close correlation between the dose administered and the prolongation between the dose administered and the prolongation of the conduction times. We bel...Continue Reading

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