Amiodarone HCl Injection (Amiodarone HCl Injection) Drug Information: Description, User Reviews, Drug Side Effects, Interactions

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May 24, 2012

Amiodarone HCl Injection

Abnormal Heart Rhythms (Heart Rhythm Disorders) »

How does the heart work?

The heart is a two stage electric pump whose job it is to circulate blood through the body. There is a group of cells that serve as an automatic pacemaker located in the atrium that generates an electrical current that spreads to the heart muscle cells to generate a coordinated squeeze, so that the pump can function.

The heart has four chambers, the right and left atria (singular= atrium) and the right and left ventricles. The right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs while the left side pumps it to the rest of the body.

Blood from the body is collected in the right atrium and is pushed into the right ventricle with a small beat of the upper chamber of the heart. The right ventricle then pumps the blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen. They oxygen-rich blood returns to the left atrium where the small atrial beat pushes it to the left ventricle. The left ventricle is much thicker than the right because it needs t...

Read the Abnormal Heart Rhythms (Heart Rhythm Disorders) article »

Amiodarone HCl Injection

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Amiodarone HCl Injection
For Intravenous Use Only

DRUG DESCRIPTION

Amiodarone HCl Injection contains amiodarone HCl (C₂₅H₂₉I₂NO₃•HCl), a class III antiarrhythmic drug. Amiodarone HCl is (2-butyl-3-benzofuranyl)[4-[2-(diethylamino)ethoxy]-3,5-diiodophenyl]methanone hydrochloride. Amiodarone HCl has the following structural formula:

Amiodarone HCI Structural Formula Illustration

Amiodarone HCl is a white to slightly yellow crystalline powder, and is very slightly soluble in water. It has a molecular weight of 681.78 and contains 37.3% iodine by weight. Amiodarone HCl injection is a sterile clear, pale-yellow micellar solution visually free from particulates. Each milliliter of the amiodarone HCl injection formulation contains 50 mg of amiodarone HCl, 20.2 mg of benzyl alcohol NF, 100 mg of polysorbate 80 NF, and Water for Injection USP.

Last reviewed on RxList: 11/18/2008
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.