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  1. This is a discussion on medication help in General Nursing Student, part of Nursing Student ... can anyone enlighten me on why you would use amiodarone on a patient with atrial fibrillation, when...

    by Sep 3, '10
    can anyone enlighten me on why you would use amiodarone on a patient with atrial fibrillation, when in the drug guide, it states that it is used for "severe ventricular tachycardia, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation" ? will decreasing the action potential duration of the ventricles significantly affect the atria?

    thanks for the help
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    by nurse.chanel Sep 3, '10 8:21 pm
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  3. 4 Comments so far...

  4. Sep 3, '10 by
    Chemical cardioversion for haemodynamically unstable patients who are also poor candidates for direct current cardioversion?
  5. Sep 3, '10 by
    because its been shown to convert atrial fibrilation to normal sinus rhythm. class III drugs, especially amiodarone, decrease the atrial defibrillation threshold by prolonging atrial refractoriness.

    Source:
    Sung RJ. Facilitating electrical cardioversion of persistant atrial
    fibrillation by antiarrhythmic drugs: update on clinical trial results. Card
    Electrophysiol Rev. 2003 Sep;7(3):300-3. Review. PubMed PMID: 14739733.
  6. Sep 3, '10 by
    Quote from nurse.chanel
    can anyone enlighten me on why you would use amiodarone on a patient with atrial fibrillation, when in the drug guide, it states that it is used for "severe ventricular tachycardia, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation" ? will decreasing the action potential duration of the ventricles significantly affect the atria?

    thanks for the help
    My book says: "Management of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias"

    So, supraventricular....that would be above the ventricles....so would include the atria.
  7. Sep 3, '10 by
    Quote from triquee
    Chemical cardioversion for haemodynamically unstable patients who are also poor candidates for direct current cardioversion?
    hmm, makes sense. the patient/client is medically diagnosed with decreased LOC and is taking an antialzheimer's agent ..

    but that brings me to another question on why they would be on an antialzheimer's agent when they are not diagnosed with alzheimer's and no history of cerebral/cerebrovascular diagnosis?

    the pt just has a decreased LOC (due to an overdose of the pt/ct's family member's sedative medication) and history of A-Fib (currently on pacemaker).

    Quote from cheezwhiz
    because its been shown to convert atrial fibrilation to normal sinus rhythm. class III drugs, especially amiodarone, decrease the atrial defibrillation threshold by prolonging atrial refractoriness.

    Source:
    Sung RJ. Facilitating electrical cardioversion of persistant atrial
    fibrillation by antiarrhythmic drugs: update on clinical trial results. Card
    Electrophysiol Rev. 2003 Sep;7(3):300-3. Review. PubMed PMID: 14739733.
    oh i see, thank you but i'm just wondering .. that if what you have sourced is correct, then why isn't it/do not specify it in the drug guide?

    Quote from CuriousMe
    My book says: "Management of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias"

    So, supraventricular....that would be above the ventricles....so would include the atria.
    i thought that supraventricular just meant the part of the ventricle closest to the atrium, lol. good to know then


    thanks for all your responses .. it's just this pt/ct is my first one. and i just want to try and understand everything that is going on with my pt/ct.