Cardiovascular and antiarrhythmic effects of aprindine (AC1802) during partial occlusion of a coronary artery in the pig.

The effect of intravenously administered aprindine (AC1802) as a prophylactic agent against ventricular arrhythmias was studied in pigs. During the first 30 min of ischaemia 5 of the 22 untreated animals died because of ventricular fibrillation against 1 of the 23 animals pretreated with aprindine (P=0.09). Ventricular tachycardias were observed in 10 untreated animals and in none of the aprindine group (P=0.0002). The incidence of other arrhythmias was significantly less in the aprindine group compared with the untreated group (P less than 0.02).