Electrophysiologic effects of penticainide in patients with supraventricular tachycardia

The electrophysiologic effects of the new class-I antiarrhythmic drug pentisomide were investigated after intravenous (5 mg/kg) application in nine patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia and six patients with atrioventricular tachycardia. Pentisomide did not change sinus cycle length, effective refractory period of the right ventricle (ERP-RV), the AV-node (ERP-AVN) and QT interval. Intranodal (AH-interval) and infranodal conduction time (HV-interval), effective refractory period of the right atrium (ERP-A), QRS duration, antegrade effective refractory period of the accessory pathway (ERP-Kent), ventricular cycle length during atrial fibrillation and tachycardia cycle length were significantly (P less than 0.05) increased. Intravenous pentisomide prevented induction of the tachycardia in 5/9 patients with atrioventricular nodal tachycardia and in 2/6 patients with atrioventricular tachycardia. The electrophysiologic properties of pentisomide indicate that it might be a useful drug in the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia.