Comparative effect of disopyramide and ethmozine in suppressing complex ventricular arrhythmias by use of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, longitudinal crossover design

Abstract

This placebo-controlled, double-blind, longitudinal crossover study compares the efficacy of disopyramide and ethmozine, a new investigational drug, in suppressing frequent (40 or more per hour) ventricular premature depolarizations (VPDs) in 27 patients completing a 37-day protocol. Although both drugs significantly reduced VPDs relative to placebo, ethmozine was a superior antiarrhythmic drug in achieving near-total abolition of VPDs (30% of patients), which was never observed during disopyramide dosing (p < .05). At the 80% VPD reduction level, ethmozine was effective in 56% of all patients with an effectiveness in only 22% of patients during disopyramide therapy (p