Efficacy and proarrhythmia of oral sotalol in pediatric patients

Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, Hannover Medical School, Germany.

OBJECTIVES. This study sought to assess the efficacy of oral sotalol for various arrhythmias in pediatric patients and to evaluate the incidence of proarrhythmia and systemic side effects. BACKGROUND. Sotalol is a beta-adrenergic blocking agent with additional class III antiarrhythmic properties. Experience in pediatric patients is limited. Data concerning the incidence of proarrhythmia in children are lacking. METHODS. Seventy-one pediatric patients (mean age 7.3 years) with various supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias were treated with oral sotalol. All the patients were admitted to the hospital for initiation of sotalol therapy. Antiarrhythmic and proarrhythmic effects of sotalol were assessed by daily surface electrocardiograms (ECGs) during the in-hospital phase and by serial Holter monitoring. RESULTS. Sotalol was either completely (27 [66%] of 41 patients) or partially effective (11 [27%] of 41) in 38 (93%) of 41 patients with supraventricular reentrant tachycardias. In patients with atrial flutter predominantly after operation for congenital heart disease, sotalol was effective in 84% of patients (completely in 9 of 19 and partially in 7 of 19). Ventricular tachycardia was completely (3 of 11) or partially (4 of 11) controlled in 64% of children. Proarrhythmia occurred in seven patients (10%) and consisted of symptomatic bradycardia from sinoatrial block and high grade atrioventricular (AV) block, respectively, in two children; asymptomatic high grade AV block in one; torsade de pointes in one; and relevant increased ventricular ectopic activity in three. Proarrhythmia required drug discontinuation in four patients. Mean duration of treatment for all patients was 18 months (range 1 to 40). CONCLUSIONS. Sotalol was an effective antiarrhythmic drug for a wide range of pediatric tachyarrhythmias. The considerable number of patients with proarrhythmic effects indicates the need for initiation of treatment on an inpatient basis and close monitoring by serial Holter electrocardiography.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. E. Epstein, J. P. DiMarco, K. A. Ellenbogen, N.A. M. Estes III, R. A. Freedman, L. S. Gettes, A. M. Gillinov, G. Gregoratos, S. C. Hammill, D. L. Hayes, et al. ACC/AHA/HRS 2008 Guidelines for Device-Based Therapy of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the ACC/AHA/NASPE 2002 Guideline Update for Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices) Developed in Collaboration With the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., May 27, 2008; 51(21): e1 - e62. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. E. Epstein, J. P. DiMarco, K. A. Ellenbogen, N.A. Mark Estes III, R. A. Freedman, L. S. Gettes, A. M. Gillinov, G. Gregoratos, S. C. Hammill, D. L. Hayes, et al. ACC/AHA/HRS 2008 Guidelines for Device-Based Therapy of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities: Executive Summary: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the ACC/AHA/NASPE 2002 Guideline Update for Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices) Developed in Collaboration With the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., May 27, 2008; 51(21): 2085 - 2105. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. E. Epstein, J. P. DiMarco, K. A. Ellenbogen, N.A. M. Estes III, R. A. Freedman, L. S. Gettes, A. M. Gillinov, G. Gregoratos, S. C. Hammill, D. L. Hayes, et al. ACC/AHA/HRS 2008 Guidelines for Device-Based Therapy of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities: Executive Summary: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the ACC/AHA/NASPE 2002 Guideline Update for Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices): Developed in Collaboration With the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons Circulation, May 27, 2008; 117(21): 2820 - 2840. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. E. Epstein, J. P. DiMarco, K. A. Ellenbogen, N.A. M. Estes III, R. A. Freedman, L. S. Gettes, A. M. Gillinov, G. Gregoratos, S. C. Hammill, D. L. Hayes, et al. ACC/AHA/HRS 2008 Guidelines for Device-Based Therapy of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the ACC/AHA/NASPE 2002 Guideline Update for Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices): Developed in Collaboration With the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons Circulation, May 27, 2008; 117(21): e350 - e408. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M.N. M. N. Obreztchikova, E.A. E. A. Sosunov, A. Plotnikov, E.P. E. P. Anyukhovsky, R. Z. Gainullin, P. Danilo Jr., Z.-H. Yeom, R. B. Robinson, and M. R. Rosen Developmental changes in IKr and IKs contribute to age-related expression of dofetilide effects on repolarization and proarrhythmia Cardiovasc Res, August 1, 2003; 59(2): 339 - 350. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Oudijk, M. M. Michon, C. S. Kleinman, L. Kapusta, P. Stoutenbeek, G. H. A. Visser, and E. J. Meijboom Sotalol in the Treatment of Fetal Dysrhythmias Circulation, June 13, 2000; 101(23): 2721 - 2726. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. H. Crawford, S. J. Bernstein, P. C. Deedwania, J. P. DiMarco, K. J. Ferrick, A. Garson Jr, L. A. Green, H. L. Greene, M. J. Silka, P. H. Stone, et al. ACC/AHA guidelines for ambulatory electrocardiography: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Committee to Revise the Guidelines for Ambulatory Electrocardiography) developed in collaboration with the North American Society for Pacing and Electrophysiology J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., September 1, 1999; 34(3): 912 - 948. [Full Text] [PDF]

				E Jaeggi, J C Fouron, A Fournier, N van Doesburg, S P Drblik, and F Proulx Ventriculo-atrial time interval measured on M mode echocardiography: a determining element in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of fetal supraventricular tachycardia Heart, June 1, 1998; 79(6): 582 - 587. [Abstract] [Full Text]