Anti-arrhythmic drugs: Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

Abstract

The goals of antiarrhythmic drug therapy are to control heart rate, abolish tachyarrhythmias, suppress ectopic beats, and to restore and maintain normal sinus rhythm. The selection of appropriate agents is a match between the common antiarrhythmic drugs, the condition and age of the patient, the urgency of treatment, the potential long-term side effects, and especially the drug's proven efficacy on the arrhythmia in question [1]. This chapter will discuss the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the commonly utilized and marketed antiarrhythmic drugs. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.