The effect of acebutolol on cardiac arrhythmias in patients with chronic coronary artery disease.

The effect of the beta-blocking drug acebutolol on the severity of cardiac arrhythmias and the incidence of exercise-induced arrhythmias was studied in 15 patients with chronic coronary artery disease using ambulatory Holter monitoring and bicycle ergometry. We found a significantly lower grading of arrhythmias both on long-term ECGs and during and after exercise. Furthermore, there was a significant decrease in the incidence of VPBs during and after exercise (18.15 +/- 7.7 on placebo vs. 3.46 +/- 1.7 on acebutolol). It is concluded that acebutolol favorably influences the incidence and severity of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with chronic coronary artery disease.