[Efficacy of intravenous Acehytisine Hydrochloride versus propafenone on terminating paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia: a double-blinded, randomized multi-center study].

OBJECTIVE

In this double-blinded, randomized, parallel study, we investigated the clinical efficacy of intravenous Acehytisine Hydrochloride (AHH) and propafenone on terminating paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT).

METHODS

Patients (18 - 70 years old) with either spontaneous or induced sustained supraventricular tachycardia lasted at least 15 min were recruited in this study. Exclusion criteria included sick sinus syndrome, atrial ventricular block or intraventricular block, etc. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive intravenously AHH (n=101) or propafenone (n=100) according to a proportion of 1:1 in a double-blinded manner. AHH (4 mg/kg, iv.) or propafenone (PRO, 1 mg/kg, iv.) was administered in 5 min followed by the same dose if no response was observed. Conversion times, vital signs, electrocardiograms were documented before and after drug administration.

RESULTS

Except for age, the demographic characteristics and clinical features were comparable between the two groups. Efficacy on PSVT termination was comparable between AHH (72/101, 71.3%) and PRO group (73/100, 73.0%, P=0.6368). The average time from drug administration to conversion was also similar [AHH: (9.62 +/- 8.39) min vs. PRO: (10.61 +/- 9.47) min, P=0.5035]. In the AHH group, 59/72 episodes of PSVT were terminated by the first dose, and 66/72 were terminated prematurely. The average AHH dose in the 72 converted patients was (273.7 +/- 111.2) mg. In the PRO group, 54/73 episodes of PSVT were terminated by the first dose. The electrocardiographic parameters, such as sinus recovery time, longest PP and RR interval, PR interval, QRS interval, QT interval after conversion were similar between the two groups. Transient adverse events were reported in 11/101 (10.9%) patients in the AHH group and in 18/100 (18.0%,) in the PRO group (P=0.1653).

CONCLUSION

With the dosage used in the present study, the efficacy on terminating PSVT was comparable between AHH and PRO.