Testing the Efficacy of Antiarrhythmic Drugs

Abstract

IN this issue, Kim and colleagues report interesting results in patients with life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias who underwent both ambulatory (Holter) electrocardiographic monitoring and electrophysiologic study (programmed electrical stimulation) to test the efficacy of antiarrhythmic drugs.¹ They observed that the clinical outcome in patients who continued to have inducible ventricular tachycardia while receiving drug therapy was as good as the outcome in those who did not, as long as the former did not have frequent spontaneous ventricular ectopy during Holter monitoring. Their observations provide an opportunity to discuss the advantages and limitations of these two techniques for evaluating drug therapy for . . .