Amiodarone is an effective antiarrhythmic but its use should be reserved for refractory or life-threatening arrhythmias due to its extensive toxicity profile.
Supports restricting amiodarone to refractory arrhythmias; leaves open safer alternative development.
Amiodarone is a benzofuran derivative that has been effective for the treatment of both supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. It has a large volume of distribution, moderate bioavailability and a long half-life. Its pharmacokinetics are not well understood and its tissue distribution is not typical of a 2-compartment model. Due to ocular, dermatologic, gastrointestinal, neurologic, cardiovascular, thyroid and pulmonary toxicity, amiodarone should be reserved for use in patients with refractory and/or life-threatening arrhythmias.
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Naccarelli et al. (1985) studied this question.
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