Drug interactions with an antiarrhythmic agent

Patients who have cardiac arrhythmias are also likely to have coexistent cardiovascular disease, such as ischemic heart disease, hypertension, or congestive heart failure. Such patients often take other cardiovascular drugs in addition to antiarrhythmic drugs to treat these problems. Because cardiac arrhythmias more commonly occur in the elderly, patients who take antiarrhythmic drugs are likely to be taking one or more noncardiovascular drugs as well. Thus, the risk of drug-drug interactions in this population is potentially great. This articlefocuses on the potentially drug-drug interactions that may occur with the broad-spectrum antiarrhythmic agent procainamide.