Treatment of Arrhythmias

The following table summarizes which antiarrhythmic drugs may be used to treat different types of arrhythmias. It is important to note that for a given condition a particular drug may not be efficacious, and in fact, it may precipitate other arrhythmias or adverse cardiovascular effects (e.g., cardiac depression, hypotension). Therefore, drug efficacy and safety must be carefully evaluated and individualized to the patient when treating arrhythmias.

Condition	Drug	Comments
Sinus tachycardia	Class II, IV	Other underlying causes may need treatment
Atrial fibrillation/flutter	Class IA, IC, II, III, IV digitalis; adenosine	Ventricular rate control is important goal; anticoagulation required
Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia	Class IA, IC, II, III, IV adenosine
AV block	atropine	Acute reversal
Ventricular tachycardia	Class I, II, III
Premature ventricular complexes	Class II, IV; Mg⁺⁺ salts	PVCs are often benign and not treated
Digitalis toxicity	Class IB Mg⁺⁺ salts; KCl

Revised 08/24/06

DISCLAIMER: These materials are for educational purposes only, and are not a source of medical decision-making advice.