Lecture 11– Cardiac arrhythmia drugs Flashcards
for the heart to function efficiently it needs to
- contract sequentially (atria, then ventricles) and in synchronicity
- Relaxation must occur between contractions
- Coordination of heartbeat is a result of complex, coordinated sequence of changes in mem. potential and electrical discharges in various heart tissue
normal heart beat
- Triggered in pacemaker cells in SAN
- Depolarise atrial tissue
- Then AVN
- Down purkinje system
- Ventricle contraction
Atrial arrhythmia
- Chaotic electrical activity of atrial tissue
- AP fire off from different places in the atria in a disorganised way
- Causes atria to quiver or twitch fibrillation
- Ventricles respond to extra, chaotic. Signals by beating faster than normal
the ECG
P wave= atrial depolarisation(SAN)
QRS complex= ventricular depolarisation (AVN)
T wave= repolarisation of ventricles
Arrhythmias
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- Heart conditions where there are disturbances in
- Pacemaker impulse formation
- Contraction impulse conduction
- Combination of the two
arrhytmias result in
- Results in rate and/or timing of contraction of heart muscle that may be insufficient to maintain normal CO- syncope
resting potential electrophysiology
- Transmembrane electrical gradient (potential is maintained (by K+ channels), with the interior of the cell negative with respect to the outside cell
- Caused by unequal distribution of ions inside vs outside
- Na higher outside than inside
- Calcium much higher outside than inside
- K+ higher inside cell than outside
- Maintained by ion selective channels, active pumps and exchangers
the fast cardiac action potential is found in
cardiac myoctes (atrial and ventricular) and purkinje tissue
resting membrane potential and depolarised potential of fast cardiac action potential
- Resting membrane potential = -90 mV
- Depolarised = +55mV
outline the fast cardaic action potential
- Rapid influx of sodium inside the cell – rapid depolarisation(0)
- Efflux of potassium (1)- causing slight repolarisation
- Influx of calcium into cell causing prolonged plateau phase (2)
- Repolarisation caused by potassium efflux (3)
- Na/K ATPase brings cell back to resting potential (4)
slow action potnetial is found in
SAN and AVN
- automatic spontaensou depolarisation (pacemakers)
difference between slow and fast cardiac AP
- funny current (spontaenous depolarisation)
- Short Action Potential Duration
- No phase 1 or 2
outline the slow action potnetial
- Spontaneous depolarisation (4) is characterised by If (funny current) which is created by slow Na channels
- Depolarisation is triggered by influx of calcium into the cell (0)
- Repolarisation is characterised by potassium leaving the cell (3)
spontaneous depolarisation found in. slow cardiac AP is characterised by
drugs used to alter the fast cardiac action potential
- Class 1 – Sodium channels blockers
- Class 2- Beta blockers
- Class 3- Potassium channel blockers
- Class 4- Calcium channel blockers
drugs used to alter the slow cardiac action potential
- Calcium channel blockers
- Drugs affecting automaticity
- Beta agonists- adrenaline
- Muscarinic agonists
- Adenosine
Mechanisms of arrhythmia generation
Abnormal impulse generation
- Automatic rhythms
- triggered rhythms
Abnormal conduction
- Conduction block
- Reentry
Automatic rhythms
- Enhanced normal automaticity- sinus tachycardia (physiological) e.g. if stressed for results
- Ectopic focus- AP arises from site other than SA node (from atria or ventricles)
Triggered rhythms
- Delayed afterdepolarisations- begin during phase 4, after repolarisation is completed but before another AP would normally occur via the normal conduction system
- Early depolarisation- occur with abnormal depolarisation during phase 2 or phase 3, and are caused by an increase in frequency of abortive action potentials before normal repolarisations completed
Conduction block
degenerative disease of conducting tissue
Abnormal anatomic conduction
Some people are born with extra piece of tissue which conducts electricity from atrium to the ventricles (other than AVN) e.g Wolf- Parkinson white syndrome
- causes reentry loop due to extra conduction pathway
Wolff- Parkinson- white syndrome
faster conduction pathway between atria and ventricles created by:
-
Accessory pathway- connecting atrium to ventricle
- Allows conduction going back down the AV node and back up the pathway to re-enter the atrium (re-entry rhythm)
- Or can go down the pathway back up the AV node to re-enter the atrium that way
Wolf- Parkinson- White syndrome ECG
- Short PR interval
- Delta wave- slurring of the upstroke of the QRS complex
Re-entrant mechanism for generating arrhythmias
Localised conduction block
- Due to scar tissue created by MI
- Wave of depolarisation goes into scar and hangs around and comes back out and causes ventricular tachycardia (because AP arising in ventricles)
Pharmacologic rationale and goal
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- Restore normal sinus rhythm and conduction
- Prevent more serious and possibly lethal arrhythmias from occurring
- Antiarrhythmic drugs used to:
- Decrease conduction velocity
- Change duration of the effective refractory period (ERP)
- Supress abnormal automaticity
classification system of antiarrhythmic drugs
Class 1 antiarryhythmics are
sodium channel blockers
- can be classified as 1a, 1b, 1c
effect of Class 1 drugs (Sodium channel blockers) on the Action potential
- Block sodium channels
- Decreases rapid depolarisation (0)
- Flattens and shifts curve to the right
- Marked slowing conduction in tissue
- Minor effects on AP duration (APD)
Name some class 1 drug (sodium channel blockers)
Class 1a- Quinidine
Class 1b- Lidocaine and mexiletine
Class 1c- Flecainide
main difference ebtween class 1b and 1c drugs
name a Class 1B drug (sodium channel blocker)
Lidocaine (IV only)
Mexiletine (oral only)
Class 1B drugs uses
- Ventricular tachycardia (in relation to a scar in the heart- ischaemia)
- Not used in atrial arrhythmias or AV junctional arrhythmias
Class 1B drugs mode of action
- Use-dependent block
- Only blocks voltage gates sodium channels in open or inactive state- therefore preferentially blocks damaged depolarised tissue- preventing automatic firing of depolarised ventricular tissue
- i.e. dmaaged areas of the myocardium may be depolarised and fire autonatically
- more sodium channels are open in depolarised tissue
- Only blocks voltage gates sodium channels in open or inactive state- therefore preferentially blocks damaged depolarised tissue- preventing automatic firing of depolarised ventricular tissue
- Little effect in normal cardiac tissue because it dissociates rapidly
Class 1B (lidocaine and mexiletine) effect on cardiac acrtivity
- Fast binding offset kinetics
- In normal tissue
- No change in phase 0 (no tonic block)
- ADP slightly decreased
- Fast beating or Ischaemic tissue
- Increase threshold for Na
- Decrease phase 0 conduction
Class 1b effect on ECF
- Effect on ECG
- None in normal tissue
- In fast beating or ischaemic tissue= increase QRS
adverse drug response: class 1B agents
- CNS effect: dizziness, drowsiness
- Abdominal upsets
Contraindications :Class 1B agents (Sodium channel blockers)
Sinus bradycardia.
Heart block greater than first degree.
Cardiogenic shock & overt cardiac failure
name the Class 1c drug
Flecainide (IV or oral)