The Use of Antiarrhythmic Drugs in Pediatrics

Overview

A study on the use of antiarrhythmic drugs in pediatric age group, in Assiut University Children's Hospital, a clinical audit

Arrhythmias occur in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease as well as those with structurally normal hearts. Rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias) are not uncommon in sick children admitted in pediatric intensive care unit. These occur as a result of abnormalities in, or insults to, the cardiac conduction system or heart tissues. A rhythm disturbance in a child should be treated as life threatening emergency. The generation of the action potential and the regional differences that are observed throughout the heart are the result of the selective permeability of ion channels distributed on the cell membrane. Abnormalities in surface membrane ion channel function are central to arrhythmogenesis. Antiarrhythmic medications primarily affect the ion channels in cardiac myocytes that are responsible for generating currents that create the action potential. By altering the activity of these ion channels, the action potential is changed to reduce the likelihood of sustained arrhythmias. These drugs are predominantly used in treatment of arrhythmia but in addition they are also used as a treatment of other cardiac and non-cardiac conditions. For example, Calcium channel blockers have been one of the most widely used classes of antihypertensive agents in the last 20 years. Carvedilol (a beta blocker agent) can be safely used for treatment of chronic heart dysfunction in pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. β-blockers are also an essential component of pharmacologic therapy for children with congestive heart failure. There is a wide range of antiarrhythmic drugs used in treatment of arrhythmias. The modernized comprehensive classification of both established and potential antiarrhythmic drugs was proposed in 2018 Class 0: HCN channel-mediated pacemaker current (If) block Class I: Antiarrhythmic that affect sodium channels (slow depolarization) Class II: Drugs that counteract the sympathetic nervous system, predominantly beta-blockers Class III: drugs that affect the potassium channels (prolong repolarization) Class IV: Drugs that affect calcium channels (Calcium channel blockers) Class V: mechanically sensitive ion channels, Mechanosensitive channel blockers Class VI: Gap junction channel blockers Class VII: Upstream target modulators. In this study the aim is to describe the use of Cardiovascular Drugs in Pediatric Cardiology unit Assiut University. As regard: indications of use, proper dosage and proper management of side effects of their use.

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Central Contacts