Patient was educated on Amiodarone and its mechanism of action as follows:
- Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic medication that is mainly a potassium channel blocker, but also has some sodium channel blocking, Beta blocking, and calcium channel blocking properties.
- Amiodarone reduces the excitability of cardiac tissues and reduces the conduction velocity of the impulse, thus preventing arrhythmias.
- Amiodarone prolongs of the repolarization of heart muscle cells. This leads to prolonging the total duration of action potential and the refractory period of cardiac muscle cells, thus slowing down the heart rate.
- Tissues in refractory period cannot initiate or conduct new impulses. For tissues to initiate or conduct a new impulse, the refractory period should end. Amiodarone by prolonging the refractory period of cardiac tissues prevents the initiation and conduction of any new impulses and thereby, helps to prevent arrhythmias.
- Amiodarone also inhibits the pacemaker cells to slow down the heart rate.
- Increasing the refractoriness of the heart muscle cells can prevent any additional excitation of the heart muscle tissue, thus helping in preventing abnormal heart rate and rhythm in conditions, such as, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular flutter, and ventricular fibrillation.
