Redistribution of amiodarone in heart transplant recipients treated with the drug before operation.

Seven heart transplant recipients (six men and one woman) treated with oral amiodarone 194 +/- 100 mg/day before operation for a period of 30 +/- 48.5 months were studied. The myocardial concentrations of amiodarone in the transplanted heart peaked in the second posttransplantation week (87.6 +/- 80.7 microg/g myocardial tissue) and remained detectable in the twelfth week (10.2 +/- 8.4 microg/g myocardial tissue). The ratio of myocardial/plasma concentrations peaked at the end of the sixth posttransplantation week. In conclusion, amiodarone accumulated rapidly in the transplanted myocardium of heart transplant recipients treated with the drug before operation and remained detectable for at least 3 months.