Effectiveness of Amiodarone in the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure Complicated with Ventricular Arrhythmias

Objective To investigate the curative effectiveness and safety of amiodarone in the treatment of chronic heart failure complicated with ventricular arrhythmias. Methods Sixty-five patients with chronic heart failure and ventricular arrhythmias were treated with amiodarone. The patients with frequent,multifocal or paired premature ventricular contraction were given 0.2g amiodarone per os tid,after 1 week the dose was changed to 0.2g bid,after another week changed to 0.2g qd,and then to the maintenance dose of 0.1～0.2g. The patients with paroxysmal,sustained ventricular tachycardia or R-on-T were given amiodarone iv and per os in the same time,the latter was taken in the same approach which listed above. The effectiveness of controlling arrhythmias,change of heart function,and side effects in 4-week treatment were observed. Results After 4-week treatment,the total effective rate of controlling ventricular arrhythmias was 85.5%. The total effective rate of improvement in heart function was 96.8%. The incidence of side effects was 15.4%. The QT dispersion(QTd) was also decreased(67.02±10.83 vs 43.04±9.87)(P0.01) . Conclusion Amiodarone is effective and safe in the treatment of chronic heart failure complicated with ventricular arrhythmias.