Efficacy and safety of long-term oral flecainide acetate in patients with responsive supraventricular tachycardia.

In 102 patients with inducible supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), 56 women and 46 men aged 20-86 (mean, 52) years, underwent electrophysiologic study. SVTs observed at electrophysiologic study were atrial flutter or atrial fibrillation (32%), the "slow-fast" form of atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentrant tachycardia (45%), orthodromic AV reentrant tachycardia (25%), and atrial tachycardia (9%). More than 1 SVT occurred in some patients. Spontaneous symptomatic SVT frequency prior to oral flecainide varied from 3/day to 1/3 months (mean, 3/month). At electrophysiologic study and during SVT, intravenous flecainide, 2 mg/kg body weight, was given at an infusion rate of 10 mg/min up to a maximum dose of 150 mg. Patients were commenced on oral flecainide if SVT termination occurred during intravenous flecainide administration and if reinitiation was not possible after the total dose of flecainide had been given. In patients with AV nodal reentrant tachycardia and AV reentrant tachycardia further criteria for commencing oral flecainide were SVT termination by ventricular-atrial conduction block and persistent ventricular-atrial block after intravenous flecainide administration. Initial oral flecainide dosage was determined by assessing ability to reinitiate SVT after 50 mg, 100 mg, and the total dose of intravenous flecainide had been given. Eighty-nine patients (87%) remained free of symptomatic SVT over a mean follow-up period of 3.9 years (range, 3 months to 6.5 years). Two thirds were still taking the original dosage of flecainide and the rest were SVT-free on a higher dosage. Oral dosages ranged from 50 to 300 mg/day (median dosage, 100 mg twice daily) Nine patients experienced minor side effects, including, lethargy, dizziness, headache, and blurred vision. There were no deaths and no reports of major proarrhythmic events or other major adverse effects.