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Abnormal Heart Rhythms (Heart Rhythm Disorders) »
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...
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The symptoms of overdosage may include hypotension, somnolence, bradycardia, intra-atrial and intra-ventricular conduction disturbances, and rarely convulsions and high grade ventricular arrhythmias. Defibrillation as well as infusion of dopamine and isoproterenol have been effective in controlling abnormal rhythm and blood pressure. Convulsions have been alleviated with intravenous diazepam. General supportive measures such as mechanical respiratory assistance and external cardiac massage may be necessary.
The hemodialysis of propafenone in patients with an overdose is expected to be of limited value in the removal of propafenone as a result of both its high protein binding ( > 95%) and large volume of distribution.
RYTHMOL SR is contraindicated in the following circumstances:
Last reviewed on RxList: 6/1/2011
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.
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