[Effect of a new class I anti-arrhythmia agent cibenzoline in patients with therapy refractory, sustained ventricular tachycardias].

The effectiveness of Cibenzoline was assessed by means of programmed ventricular stimulation in 13 patients with sustained, drug refractory ventricular tachycardia. Besides Cibenzoline, an average of 3.5 antiarrhythmic drugs were tested, or were clinically ineffective. Cibenzoline was applied, i.v., in a dose of 1.5 mg/kg within 10 min. Cycle length was significantly shortened (p less than or equal to 0.05) while increases were noted for effective refractory period of the right ventricle (p less than or equal to 0.05), intranodal (AH-interval) and infranodal (HV-interval) conduction time (p less than or equal to 0.01), QRS-duration (p less than or equal to 0.001), QT-interval corrected for frequency (p less than or equal to 0.001) as well as cycle-length of the tachycardia (p less than or equal to 0.05). After i.v. Cibenzoline, induction of tachycardia was more difficult in two patients and unchanged in five patients. Spontaneous occurrence of the tachycardia was noted in three patients, and in one patient tachycardia was sustained by atrial stimulation. Cibenzoline i.v. prevented tachycardia in two patients respectively induction of tachycardia was not reproducible. It is concluded that Cibenzoline may be effective in individual patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia unresponsive to other antiarrhythmic drugs.