Effect of long term treatment with metoprolol and sotalol on ventricular repolarisation measured by use of transoesophageal atrial pacing

• The effects of long term (4 weeks) treatment with oral metoprolol (100 mg twice daily) and sotalol (160 mg twice daily) on ventricular repolarisation time were compared in a double blind crossover study in 20 patients post-infarction. For QT interval studies transoesophageal atrial pacing was performed at a cycle length of 800 ms. Sotalol prolonged the QT interval by 5-7% compared with metoprolol. The prolongation reflects a change in the repolarisation time because there was no change in the QS interval. Measurements of heart rate at rest and during bicycle exercise indicated that metoprolol and sotalol in the doses selected were equipotent as beta blockers. Transoesophageal atrial pacing is a simple non-invasive method with few and mild side effects that is well suited to drug studies.

Keyword

Aged

Arrhythmia/drug therapy

Cardiac Pacing; Artificial

Clinical Trials

Comparative Study

Computers

Double-Blind Method

Electrocardiography

Heart Rate/drug effects

Heart Ventricles/drug effects

Humans

Long-Term Care

Male

Metoprolol/*therapeutic use

Middle Aged

Research Support; Non-U.S. Gov't

Sotalol/*therapeutic use

MEDICINE

MEDICIN

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)