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Defibrillation Effects of Intravenous Nifekalant in Patients with Out‐of‐Hospital Ventricular Fibrillation
Author(s) -
IGARASHI MASAKI,
FUJINO TADASHI,
TOYODA MIWAKO,
SUGINO KEISHI,
SASAO KENICHIROU,
SASAMOTO SHUICHI,
OTSUKA TAKAYUKI,
KOBAYASHI KENZABURO,
OKANO YOSHIFUMI,
YOSIWARA KATSUNORI,
KOYAMA NOBUYA
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2005.00043.x
Subject(s) - medicine , defibrillation , ventricular fibrillation , lidocaine , sinus rhythm , anesthesia , intensive care unit , cardiology , emergency department , coronary care unit , atrial fibrillation , myocardial infarction , psychiatry
Nifekalant (NF), a pure K + channel blocker developed in Japan, has been reported to be effective in the treatment of life‐threatening ventricular arrhythmias. We studied its efficacy in 18 men and 4 women with out‐of‐hospital ventricular fibrillation (VF) admitted to our emergency department between August 2001 and March 2004. The number of DC shocks delivered for out‐of‐hospital VF, serum Na + and K + , arterial blood pH, and base excess were compared in 8 patients treated with NF, 0.3 mg/kg i.v. followed by a continuous intravenous (group N) versus 14 patients treated with lidocaine, 2 mg/kg, i.v. (group C). The two groups were similar with respect to their baseline characteristics. Sinus rhythm returned in 5 of 8 patients in group N versus 2 of 14 patients in group C (P < 0.05). These seven patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, though all died within 1 month. The results of this study suggest that NF may be effective in defibrillation of out‐of‐hospital VF, though controlled studies are needed to confirm our observations.