Cordarone (Amiodarone HCl Tablets) Drug Information: Overdosage and Contraindications

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May 26, 2012

Cordarone

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 »

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OVERDOSE

There have been cases, some fatal, of Cordarone overdose.

In addition to general supportive measures, the patient's cardiac rhythm and blood pressure should be monitored, and if bradycardia ensues, a β-adrenergic agonist or a pacemaker may be used. Hypotension with inadequate tissue perfusion should be treated with positive inotropic and/or vasopressor agents. Neither Cordarone nor its metabolite is dialyzable.

The acute oral LD₅₀ of amiodarone HCl in mice and rats is greater than 3,000 mg/kg.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Cordarone is contraindicated in patients with cardiogenic shock; severe sinus-node dysfunction, causing marked sinus bradycardia; second- or third-degree atrioventricular block; and when episodes of bradycardia have caused syncope (except when used in conjunction with a pacemaker).

Cordarone is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to the drug or to any of its components, including iodine.

Last reviewed on RxList: 11/23/2011
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.