ANTIARRHYTHMIC DRUGS - GOOD FOR PREMATURE VENTRICULAR COMPLEXES BUT BAD FOR PATIENTS

Moricizine and similar antiarrhythmic agents have relatively low efficacy for the treatment of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, and high potential for exacerbation of such arrhythmias. Despite the ability of moricizine and similar agents to suppress premature ventricular complexes, these drugs have failed to reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death after myocardial infarction, suggesting that the mechanism underlying premature ventricular complexes differs from that causing sustained ventricular tachycardia. However, complex ventricular ectopy, especially nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, remains a good predictor of sudden cardiac death risk after myocardial infarction.