The anti-arrhythmic effects of perhexiline maleate in patients with ischaemic heart disease.

In a preliminary study which lasted 14 weeks, an anti-anginal preparation, perhexiline maleate (Pexid), was prescribed in a dosage of 200 mg twice a day to 7 patients who were suffering from cardiac arrhythmias associated with ischaemic heart disease. There was a significant reduction in ventricular extrasystoles during the 4th and 8th weeks of the study in 6 of the patients who had multiple ventricular ectopic beats. In 4 of these patients, an effective anti-arrhythmic response was maintained until the end of the study. These findings confirm other studies regarding the efficacy of the preparation in reducing ventricular extrasystoles in patients with cardiac ischaemia.