New concepts for antiarrhythmic drugs in the 1980's.

In the 1980's, arrhythmias will be treated with new drugs with increasing efficacy and safety. A better understanding of basic biology will provide the framework for the physician to deal with the problem areas presented. Better chemical techniques for assaying plasma concentration of primary drug and metabolite will provide the clinical basis for administering these new agents. The importance of altered protein binding on both the efficacy and safety of drugs will become better understood. Drug interactions will be appreciated for having both a beneficial and harmful effect in certain patient syndromes. Understanding factors which relate to the bioavailability of a drug will no doubt provide clues as to better administration patterns in most patients. The decade of the 1980's will prove exciting for the clinical pharmacologist and the cardiologist as they treat patients with cardiac arrhythmias.