Should lidocaine be administered routinely to all patients after acute myocardial infarction?

Abstract

For more than 10 yr, coronary care units have used ECG monitoring for detecting and treating life-threatening arrhythmias in patients who have had acute myocardial infarction. It is opportune to reassess some of the principles that are used in many coronary care units for treating these patients. Whether all patients with acute infarction should receive antiarrhythmic drugs routinely to prevent primary ventricular fibrillation is reviewed.