Application experience and the clinical efficacy of treating refractory ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation with amiodarone

Objective To sum up the application experience and the clinical efficacy of a large dose of amiodarone for treating refractory ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF). Methods Sixteen patients with VT and VF attack under lidocaine intravenous infusion and repeatedly defibrillation received amiodarone intravenously 3-5 mg/kg body weight bolus and maintained 0. 5-1. 5 mg/min continuously and at same time amiodarone was administrated 0. 2 three times a day orally. Results Average intravenous treating time of amiodarone was 3-9 (5. 9±3. 2) days. First day, amiodarone dosage was 900-1500 (1153±183) mg , the VT or VF of 18. 7% patients was controlled totally, at second day, 31. 3% patients were controlled, and in 3 days, all patients were controlled completely. From seventh day, the dosage of amiodarone was decreased to 0. 2-0. 6 /day orally only and continuously maintained the small dose for longer time. At 30th day, one patient died of re-attack of VF after amiodarone ceased 17 days later. Another 15 cases of patients were still survival at the follow-up of 3-12(7. 7 ± 3. 1)months. Conclusion The strategy that continuous intravenous infusion amiodarone plus oral amiodarone is effective for VT and VF. An attention is that the patients with VT or VF should keep maintaining oral amiodarone for longer time after VT and VF ceased.