Results of the use of allapinin, aethacizin, and bonnecor in treatment of patients with paroxysmal ventricular tachycardias under intracardiac electrophysiological control

Pharmacological tests with allapinin, aethacizin, and bonnecor were conducted in 58 patients with ventricular tachycardias and different cardiovascular diseases. Antiarrhythmic efficacy of these drugs was assessed by programmed ventricular stimulation. Allapinin, aethacizin and bonnecor were used orally in 56, 46 and 20 patients, respectively. By the time of electrophysiological testing 10 (18%), 5 (11%) and 4 (20%) of patients on allapinin, aethacizin, and bonnecor, respectively, had side effects. Due to severe adverse reactions antiarrhythmic efficacy was not assessed in 3 patients on bonnecor and in 1 on aethacizin. Proarrhythmic effects (mostly acceleration of induced ventricular tachycardia and its transition to incessint form) were registered in 15 patients (27%) on allapinin, in 7 (16%) on aethacizin and in 3 (18%) on bonnecor. Antiarrhythmic effect was observed in 9 (16%), 8 (18%), and 2 (12%) patients on allapinin, aetacizin, and bonnecor, respectively. Patients with positive results of a drug test remained on long term therapy with the same preparation. Neither recurrence of ventricular tachycardia nor sudden death occurred during follow-up (up to 7 years). Two patients stopped therapy (1 - allapinin and 1 - aethacizin) because of severe side effects. When efficacy, arrhythmogeneity and tolerability of each drug were considered together it turned out that allapinin could be used for long-team prevention of attacks of arrhythmia in 4 (7%), aethacizin - 4 (9%), and bonnecor - in 2 (10%) patients.