Concentration response relationships of amiodarone and desethylamiodarone

Twelve patients with frequent ventricular premature depolarizations (VPDs) received amiodarone, 600 mg/day, for up to 8 weeks. On days 0, 1, 4, 8, 15, 22, 36, and 57 of treatment, 24-hour ambulatory ECGs were obtained, and multiple blood samples were taken for determination of amiodarone and desethylamiodarone plasma concentrations. All patients had at least 75% suppression of VPDs. The mean duration of therapy before the onset of …