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European Heart Journal 1993 14(Supplement H):50-55; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/14.suppl_H.50
Copyright © 1993 by the European Society of Cardiology.
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© 1993 The European Society of Cardiology

Class III actions in an experimental model of ventricular tachycardia

J. Brugada, L. Boersma, F. Navarro-Lopez and M. Allessie*

Arrhythmia Unit, Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
* Department of Physiology, University of Limburg Maastricht, The Netherlands

Correspondence: Josep Brugada, MD, Head of the Arrhythmia Unit, Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clinic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain

Simplified models of re-entry may help in our understanding of the electrophysiologic effects of class III drugs. In a model of re-entrant ventricular tachycardia around a ring of epicardium in Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts, the electrophysiologic effects of class III antiarrhythmic drugs were studied and compared to those of class I drugs.

Class III drugs were effective in terminating fast re-entrant ventricular tachycardias. Prolongation of the refractory period without affecting conduction velocity resulted in a closure of the excitable gap and collision of the head of the propagating impulse against its own tail of refractoriness. In slow ventricular tachycardias, despite a similar increase in refractory period, the excitable gap remained large enough to allow perpetuation of the tachycardia.

Key Words: Antiarrhythmic drugs • class II drugs • class I drugs • re-entrant • ventricular tachycardia


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