benzofurans and Syncope

Topics: Aged; Benzofurans; Bradycardia; Clinical Trials as Topic; Drug Combinations; Electrocardiography; Female; Humans; Hypokalemia; Isoproterenol; Male; Monitoring, Physiologic; Oxazines; Pacemaker, Artificial; Potassium Chloride; Prenylamine; Prognosis; Quinidine; Syncope; Tachycardia; Ventricular Fibrillation

Five cases of amiodarone-induced polymorphous ventricular tachycardia (torsade de pointes) are presented. All patients had recurrent syncope or dizziness due to polymorphous ventricular tachycardia and in all cases the QT interval was prolonged. In two cases hypokalemia was present at the time the arrhythmia was first recorded, but in both cases polymorphous ventricular tachycardia persisted despite correction of the electrolyte imbalance. Standard treatment for polymorphous ventricular tachycardia (isoproterenol, ventricular pacing, or both) was successful in all patients, however, therapy had to be continued for 5 to 10 days, most probably because of the long elimination half-life of amiodarone.

Topics: Aged; Amiodarone; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Benzofurans; Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; Electrocardiography; Female; Half-Life; Humans; Isoproterenol; Male; Middle Aged; Syncope; Tachycardia

A patient with the familial syndrome of Q-T prolongation, ventricular arrhythmias, and syncope was effectively treated with amiodarone.

Topics: Adolescent; Amiodarone; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Benzofurans; Electrocardiography; Heart Ventricles; Humans; Male; Syncope; Syndrome

A long Q-T interval syndrome is described, followed by "torsade de pointe" and by irriducible ventricular fibrillation that is ascribed to a badly conducted therapy with amiodarone, in a patient affected by mitral valve disease, microcitaemia and hemolitic intercurrent moderate jaundice.

Topics: Amiodarone; Benzofurans; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Mitral Valve Insufficiency; Syncope; Tachycardia; Ventricular Fibrillation

Topics: Amiodarone; Angina Pectoris; Angina Pectoris, Variant; Benzofurans; Drug Evaluation; Humans; Infusions, Parenteral; Syncope