Emergency Treatment of Cardiac Arrhythmias

The cardiac arrhythmias often present themselves as grave emergencies. Fortunately, these disorders usually respond rapidly and dramatically to therapy. Simple, intelligent treatment of a serious arrhythmia, administered by the wise physician, frequently can be lifesaving. As a result of continuing research, the number of deaths resulting from arrhythmias can now be reduced much more radically than was formerly possible. This may be accomplished by proper use of four main therapeutic measures: (1) the rapidly acting digitalis preparations, (2) quinidine, (3) procaine amide (Pronestyl) hydrochloride, and (4) carotid sinus stimulation. THERAPEUTIC DRUGS AND PROCEDURES Of the purified digitalis preparations, lanatoside C (Cedilanid) is one of the most widely used in America.¹This drug acts rapidly and is eliminated quickly. Intramuscular administration is generally preferred because of its greater margin of safety. In emergencies, however, lanatoside C may be given intravenously. The full digitalization dose is about 1.2 to 1.6 mg.