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Antiarrhythmic Properties of Beta-Adrenoceptor Blockade During and After Myocardial Infarction

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Antiarrhythmic Drugs

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 89))

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Abstract

Acute myocardial infarction is generally caused by a fresh thrombus which occludes a major coronary artery. It carries a mortality of about 50% and many patients die before receiving any medical or paramedical help (Armstrong et al. 1972; Kinlen 1973). Studies from Chamberlain’s Group in Brighton (O’Doherty et al. 1983) have shown that many of the early deaths occur because of the development of serious ventricular arrhythmia which is most prevalent during the first 1–3 h after the onset; thereafter the incidence decays very rapidly. Several studies have shown the superiority of continuous ECG recording on magnetic tape, which records many arrhythmias not noticed on monitor screens (Mogensen 1970; Vetter and Julian 1975). Most of the trials of antiarrhythmic drugs used in the treatment of myocardial infarction have taken place after this early very lethal phase. They have generally concentrated on reductions in less lethal arrhythmia such as ventricular ectopic beats; these have been shown to bear little relation to lethal arrhythmia, unless care is taken to identify the “R on T” ectopic beat (Fig. 1).

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Authors
  1. P. Sleight
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  2. P. Rossi
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hertford College, Oxford University, 153 Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 7NA, Great Britain

    E. M. Vaughan Williams Professor Dr.

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Sleight, P., Rossi, P. (1989). Antiarrhythmic Properties of Beta-Adrenoceptor Blockade During and After Myocardial Infarction. In: Vaughan Williams, E.M. (eds) Antiarrhythmic Drugs. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 89. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73666-7_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73666-7_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-73668-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-73666-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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