Amiodarone was first introduced in 1961 as a
drug for treating angina. Today intravenous amiodarone
is the gold standard for managing patients
with rhythm-related tachyarrhythmias and is listed
as the first-line therapy in the American Heart Association’s
Advanced Cardiac Life Support algorithms
for ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation.8
The package insert for the Cordarone brand of
amiodarone hydrochloride (Wyeth Laboratories)
recommends use of a filter during administration at
higher concentrations because of the precipitate
that can cause phlebitis. Amiodarone is currently
available from several manufacturers (eg, Nexterone,
Prism Pharmaceuticals/Baxter, and amiodarone
hydrochloride intravenous injection, APP
Pharmaceuticals LLC).