Intravenous Amiodarone during Prolonged Resuscitation from Cardiac Arrest

Brief Reports15 May 1989Intravenous Amiodarone during Prolonged Resuscitation from Cardiac ArrestMarcus L. Williams, MD, Alan Woelfel, MD, Wayne E. Cascio, MD, Ross J. Simpson Jr., MD, Leonard S. Gettes, MD, James R. Foster, MDMarcus L. Williams, MD, Alan Woelfel, MD, Wayne E. Cascio, MD, Ross J. Simpson Jr., MD, Leonard S. Gettes, MD, James R. Foster, MDAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-110-10-839 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptBecause only 13% of patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest survive to discharge from the hospital (1, 2), with none surviving when resuscitation exceeds 30 minutes (1), there is an urgent need for more effective means of treating hospitalized patients with cardiac arrest. Intravenous amiodarone may produce rapid control of frequently recurring ventricular tachycardia when given outside the setting of cardiac arrest (3-7). Therefore, we administered amiodarone intravenously to 14 patients during prolonged in-hospital resuscitation from refractory cardiac arrest due to ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation from October 1982 through February 1988. Clinical details, obtained from review of hospital records, are...References1. BedellDelbancoCookEpstein STEF. Survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the hospital. N Engl J Med. 1983;309:569-76. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. UrbergWays MC. Survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation for an in-hospital cardiac arrest. J Fam Pract. 1987;25:41-4. MedlineGoogle Scholar3. KleinMachellRushforthStandefur RCNJ. Efficacy of intravenous amiodarone as short-term treatment for refractory ventricular tachycardia. Am Heart J. 1988;115:96-101. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Leak D. Intravenous amiodarone in the treatment of refractory life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias in the critically ill patient. Am Heart J. 1986;111:456-62. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. HelmyHerreGee IJG. Use of intravenous amiodarone for emergency treatment of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1988;12:1015-22. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. MoradyScheinmanShenShapiroSungDiCarlo FMEWRL. Intravenous amiodarone in the acute treatment of recurrent symptomatic ventricular tachycardia. Am J Cardiol. 1983;51:156-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. KadishMorady AF. The use of intravenous amiodarone in the acute therapy of life-threatening tachyarrhythmias. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 1989;31:281-94. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. ChapmanBoyd JM. Intravenous amiodarone in ventricular fibrillation. Br Med J. 1981;282:951-2. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. MaheswaranBrambleHardisty RMC. Massive digoxin overdose: successful treatment with intravenous amiodarone. Br Med J. 1983;287:392-3. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. LiberatoreLow MR. Intravenous amiodarone for malignant dysrhythmias of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy [Letter]. Am J Emerg Med. 1987;5:262-4. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Marcus L. Williams, MD; Alan Woelfel, MD; Wayne E. Cascio, MD; Ross J. SimpsonJr., MD; Leonard S. Gettes, MD; James R. Foster, MDAffiliations: From the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For current author addresses, see end of text. 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Innovative advanced life support pharmacologyDose-Ranging Study of Intravenous Amiodarone in Patients With Life-Threatening Ventricular TachyarrhythmiasPilot study of intravenous magnesium sulfate in refractory cardiac arrest: safety data and recommendations for future studiesSympatholytic Action of Intravenous Amiodarone in the Rat HeartLiteraturEffects of amiodarone on refractory myocardial infarction: Experimental studyOral amiodarone loading for the rapid treatment of frequent, refractory, sustained ventricular arrhythmias associated with coronary artery diseaseThe use of antiarrhythmics in advanced cardiac life supportEffects of Antiarrhythmic Drugs on Epicardial Defibrillation Energy Requirements and the Rate of Defibrillator DischargesDrug treatment of arrhythmias during cardiopulmonary resuscitationEffects of chronic amiodarone therapy on defibrillation thresholdEffects of Antiarrhythmic Drugs on Defibrillation Threshold in Patients with the Implantable Cardioverter DefibrillatorCardiac ArrhythmiasPotential Interactions Between Antiarrhythmic Medication And The Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator 15 May 1989Volume 110, Issue 10Page: 839-842KeywordsHeartResuscitationVentricular fibrillationVentricular tachycardia ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 15 May 1989 PDF downloadLoading ...