PMID: 2498141Mar 1, 1989Paper

Treatment of hypertensive patients with ventricular arrhythmias: comparison and combination of beta-blocker and anti-arrhythmic therapy

The Journal of International Medical Research
S Di SommaO de Divitiis

Abstract

The effect of therapy with atenolol and tocainide, separately or in combination, was studied in 20 patients with hypertension and concomitant ventricular arrhythmias. Patients were given 400 mg tocainide, three times daily, 100 mg atenolol, once daily (plus 25 mg hydrochlorothiazide and 2.5 mg amiloride diuretics if required) and a combination of these treatments. Tocainide alone significantly reduced the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias without affecting atrial arrhythmias. It also controlled exercise-induced arrhythmias in 7/13 (54%) patients. Atenolol significantly reduced atrial arrhythmias and had a good effect on exercise-induced arrhythmias (reduced in 75% of patients), but it did not have a significant effect on ventricular arrhythmias. In 13 patients, despite normalization of blood pressure by atenolol, it was necessary to combine antihypertensive therapy (atenolol) with anti-arrhythmic therapy (tocainide) in order to reduce ventricular arrhythmias. All drugs were well tolerated. It is concluded that, in certain patients, specific anti-arrhythmic treatment may be necessary to control ventricular arrhythmias in hypertensive patients despite normalization of blood pressure by beta-blockers.

References

Apr 1, 1978·The American Journal of Cardiology·E N MooreR A Moller
Jul 1, 1984·The American Journal of Medicine·F H MesserliE D Frohlich
Nov 5, 1984·The American Journal of Medicine·J W Hollifield
Dec 1, 1980·American Heart Journal·H R HornM D Young
Dec 1, 1980·American Heart Journal·M D YoungH G Vassallo

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