Open clinical studies at a referral center: chronic maintenance tocainide therapy in patients with recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia refractory to conventional antiarrhythmic agents.

Chronic maintenance tocainide therapy was effective in controlling symptomatic, recurrent ventricular tachycardia in 11 of 15 patients. Patients were selected for tocainide therapy on the basis of refractoriness to conventional antiarrhythmic agents and responsiveness to the intravenous administration of lidocaine. Side effects were frequent but could usually be managed by taking the drug with meals or by more frequent administration of smaller doses. Survival, frequency of symptomatic tachycardia, frequency of asymptomatic ventricular tachycardia, and tolerance of the therapeutically effective dosage were the criteria used to assess therapeutic effectiveness. Factors common to the response group included primary and secondary Q-T prolongation before therapy, a paradoxical increase in ventricular ectopic activity with quinidine-like medications, and shortening of the Q-T interval with maintenance tocainide therapy. These factors may prove to be useful in identifying the patients who are most likely to benefit from chronic maintenance tocainide therapy.