Therapy with Antiarrhythmic Drugs

How much of what drug for whom?1 Good habits of mind are encouraged when the physician asks these questions before prescribing a drug. Two articles concerning antiarrhythmic drugs in this issue of the Journal provide an opportunity to practice this exercise.Ventricular arrhythmias are a frequent complication of myocardial infarction and may contribute to mortality. Controlled clinical trials have shown that patients with acute, uncomplicated myocardial infarction benefit from prophylactic administration of antiarrhythmic drugs in fixed dosage schedules.2 3 4 5 Treatment of patients in a coronary-care unit with procainamide or lidocaine decreased the frequency of ventricular arrhythmias2 , 3 and ventricular fibrillation3 without a . . .