What is procainamide used for?
Procainamide injection is used to treat irregular heartbeats and to slow an overactive heart. When the heart has a normal heartbeat (rhythm), it will work more efficiently. Procainamide works by slowing the nerve impulses in the heart and reducing the sensitivity of heart tissues.
What type of drug is procainamide?
Procainamide is a medication used to manage and treat ventricular arrhythmias, supraventricular arrhythmias, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, AV nodal re-entrant tachycardia, and Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome. It is a Class 1A antiarrhythmic agent.
Is procainamide still used?
Procainamide was initially approved by the US FDA in 1950 and fell out of favor due to its side effect profile and the development of newer antiarrhythmics. Procainamide usage has increased in recent years, and it is now seen as a viable option for several arrhythmias.
What is the most common adverse effect of procainamide?
Common side effects of Pronestyl (procainamide hydrochloride) include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, bitter taste in the mouth, dizziness, tired feeling, flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling), and itching or rash.
What is a contraindication of procainamide?
Procainamide is contraindicated in patients with second- or third-degree AV block, unless controlled by a pacemaker, due to the risk of additive cardiac depression. In general, use procainamide cautiously in patients with certain types of cardiac disease.
What is another name for procainamide?
PRONESTYL (procainamide hydrochloride) is indicated for the treatment of documented ventricular arrhythmias, such as sustained ventricular tachycardia, that, in the judgment of the physician, are life-threatening.
What is a contraindication to procainamide?
What should you check before administering procainamide?
How should I monitor my patient? A. Initiate procainamide while your patient is hospitalized and monitor cardiac rate and rhythm, including QTc interval; BP; and monitor for hypersensitivity reactions. Also monitor his complete blood cell count, ANA titer, and kidney and liver function for blood abnormalities.
Is procainamide used in ACLS?
The use of procainamide is limited in ACLS for cardiac arrest, due to its requirement of slow infusion and its somewhat unknown effectiveness. If used for recurrent ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, 20 mg/min should be given via IV infusion to a total dose of 17 mg/kg.
When do you use amiodarone vs procainamide?
Interpretation: The results of this trial indicate that procainamide is better tolerated and more efficacious acutely than amiodarone in the treatment of hemodynamically stable wide complex tachycardia (presumably VT), including in patients with structural heart disease.
Is procainamide the same as flecainide?
Flecainide has a higher diagnostic yield than does procainamide in patients with BBB, syncope, and negative baseline EPS due to a greater increase of the His-ventricular interval. Additionally, there is a lesser need for pacemaker implantation in patients in whom the class I drug test using flecainide was negative.