A patient is having frequent premature ventricular contractions and runs of ventricular tachycardia. Which of the following drugs would be considered for this patient?
I.procainamide
II.epinephrine HCl
III.isoproterenol HCl
IV.amiodarone

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The patient has frequent premature ventricular contractions and runs of ventricular tachycardia which suggests they have significant ventricular arrhythmia. Procainamide is a drug of choice for treatment of ventricular arrhythmias. It increases the duration of the action potential, causing refractory period extension, suppression of atrioventricular node conduction, and diminished contractility. Amiodarone can also be used as it provides effective suppression of both supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias due to its multiple electrophysiologic effects, including slowing of AV nodal conduction and prolongation of the effective refractory period of the AV node. Epinephrine and isoproterenol, on the other hand, can aggravate ventricular arrhythmias and are contraindicated in this particular case.

A Patient Is Having Frequent Premature Ventricular Contractions and Runs