Background: Amiodarone (AMI) has been increasingly used to treat acute arrhythmic episodes in patients with cardiovascular disorders. However, adverse effects of this drug caused by poor clinical follow-up and careless administration have been reported; hence, further attention to and research on this topic is warranted. This study aimed to identify AMI use and adverse effects among patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) and explore any correlations between adverse effects and risk factors.
Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed data from the electronic health records of 142 patients with arrhythmia receiving AMI treatment at KAUH from January 2016 to December 2018, regardless of indication, age, duration, and dose. We excluded patients with: (1) insufficient data regarding the AMI dose and duration, (2) no clinical follow-up, and (3) lack of baseline clinical parameters.
Results: We found that 20.4% of patients experienced adverse effects after AMI treatment. Patients with underlying comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, and thyroid dysfunction, were more likely to experience AMI adverse effects. Further, adverse effects were observed more frequently in women, older adults, patients with low body mass index, and patients administered high doses of AMI.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that AMI treatment should accompany meticulous clinical follow-up. This may direct the clinician to either decrease dosage, discontinue AMI treatment, or seek alternative drugs once adverse effects appear.
Key words: Amiodarone, arrhythmia, comorbidity, adverse effects, cardiovascular disorder
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