Antiarrhythmai drugs Flashcards
what is an EAD and when does it occur
occur at slow heart rates, get an extra depolarization from the plateau of the membrane potential (during repolarization)
what is a DAD and when does it occur
occur at fast HRs, an extra depolarization occurs from the resting potential
what are the requirements for re-entry
- must be a block
- block must be unidirectional (allows conduction from other side)
- theres slow conduction through the block (slower than the depolarization of the cells on the other side allowing them to be reacitivated
what are the goals of anti-arrhythmic therapy
Aimed to reduce ectopic pacemaker activity and/or
modify conduction characteristics to disable re-entry circuits
what are possible anti-arrhythmic mechanisms
Na+ channel blockade
Blockade of sympathetic autonomic effects (β-receptors)
Prolongation of the effective refractory period
(longer QT interval)
Ca++ channel blockade
Use-dependent or state-dependent drug action
channels that are used frequently or inactivated are more susceptible, e.g. during fast tachycardia (many channel activations/inactivations) or in ischemic or infarcted tissues (more positive resting potential)
whereas
channels in normal cells rapidly loose the drug during resting phase
Selective blockade of depolarized cells
why wouldn’t you give anti-arrhythmic drugs prophylactically
However, anti-arrhythmic drugs DO NOT ACT SPECIFICALLY and can also depress
conduction in normal cells, leading to drug-induced arrhythmia !!!!
do you treat an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic arrhythmia?
NO
how are anti-arrhythmic drugs classified
Anti-arrhythmic drugs are classified by their PREDOMINANT effect on the action potential and/or PREDOMINANT cellular mechanism of action.
Many drugs have multiple effects that are related to different classes of drug action.
Metabolites of drugs also may be biological active via different mechanisms of action.
Vaughan Williams Classification of Anti-Arrhythmic Drug Actions Class I :
Class I : Na+ channel blockers
Vaughan Williams Classification of Anti-Arrhythmic Drug Actions Class II
Class II: β-adrenoceptor blockers
Vaughan Williams Classification of Anti-Arrhythmic Drug Actions Class III
Class III: Prolongation of action potential duration
Vaughan Williams Classification of Anti-Arrhythmic Drug Actions Class IV
Class IV: Ca++ channel blockers
what is the main function of class I drugs
Na+ channel blockers, local anesthetic action
what is the MOA of Na+ channel blockers
Block fast Na+ channels (Phase 0 in non-nodal cells, fast response action potential) (these are found in the heart and nerve endings)
Actions (therapeutic actions and side-effects) depend on heart rate, membrane potential and drug specific blocking kinetics
what are the subclasses of Na+ channel blockers
Class 1A: intermediate kinetics, APD increased
Class 1B: fast kinetics, APD decreased
Class 1C: slow kinetics, no effect on APD
what are the drugs in class 1A
Procainamide, Quinidine, Disopyramide
what are the drugs in class 1B
*Lidocaine, Mexiletine
what are the drugs in class 1C
Flecainide, Propafenone
Procainamide and quinidine effects
Slows upstroke of AP, conduction, prolongs QRS complex
Direct depressant actions on SA and AV nodes
More effective in depolarized cells (use/state-dependent action)
Procainamide and quinidine indications
Atrial and ventricular arrhythmias
Drug of second or third choice (after lidocaine and amiodarone) for ventricular arrhythmias after acute myocardial infarction
Procainamide pharmacokinetics
- Administered i.v., i.m., p.o.
- Metabolite N-acetylprocainamide (NAPA) has class 3 activity
- Elimination via liver and kidney (NAPA), dose reduction with renal failure
- half-life: 3-4 hrs.