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New antiarrhythmic drugs in pediatric use: Propafenone

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Summary

Propafenone hydrochloride, a class IC antiarrhythmic agent, combines sodium channel-blocking effects with β-blocking capacities and a weak calcium antagonism. The drug exerts marked electrophysiologic effects on accessory atrioventricular pathways. In patients with atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia, propafenone is able to block conduction in the fast conducting pathway. In addition, propafenone is very effective in young patients with supraventricular tachycardia based on enhanced abnormal automaticity. In pediatric patients, left ventricular performance remains unimpaired. Proarrhythmic events have been noted in children only occasionally. In accordance with the electrophysiologic profile, intravenous and oral propafenone is an effective agent for treatment of supraventricular tachycardia based on a reentry mechanism and due to abnormal automaticity (i.e., supraventricular tachycardia based on an accessory atrioventricular pathway, atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia, junctional ectopic tachycardia, and atrial ectopic tachycardia). In children with ventricular dysrhythmias, efficacy seems to be related to the underlying cardiac diagnosis. Propafenone is well tolerated in the majority of young patients. Incidence of proarrhythmic events seems to be lower with propafenone than with other class 1C agents. However, the risk of these serious adverse events should be taken into account when therapy with propafenone is considered, particularly in patients with structural heart disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, Hannover Medical School, D-30623, Hannover, Germany

    T. Paul

  2. Center of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czechoslovakia

    J. Janousek

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Paul, T., Janousek, J. New antiarrhythmic drugs in pediatric use: Propafenone. Pediatr Cardiol 15, 190–197 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00800674

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