Chapter 17
Antiarrhythmic Drugs
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Define antiarrhythmic drugs and their utility
Categorize antiarrhythmics based on the mode of action
Describe the synthesis, mode of action, and dose administered from each class of antiarrhythmics
17.1 INTRODUCTION
Antiarrhythmic drugs are medicines that correct irregular heartbeats and slow down hearts that beat too fast. The heart is a muscle that works like a pump. It is divided into four chambers, two atria at the top of the heart and two ventricles at the bottom. The heart beats (contracts) when an electrical impulse from the heart’s ‘natural pacemaker”—the sinoatrial (SA) node—moves through it. The normal sequence begins in the right atrium, spreads throughout the atria, and to ...
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