[Efficacy of intravenous sotalol in the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia].

20 patients with supraventricular tachycardia, received one to three intravenous injections of 0.5 mg/kg of sotalol. This group included 8 atrial fibrillations, 5 atrial flutters, 2 systolic tachycardias and 5 junctional tachycardias. Return to a normal sinus rhythm is obtained in 2 of the 8 patients with atrial fibrillation while a decreased heart rate under 100 per minute is noted in 3 of them. Among the 5 patients with atrial flutter, only one returned to a normal sinus rhythm and in 2 the tachycardia decreased. In the 2 patients with systolic tachycardia, the heart rate decreased without return to a normal sinus rhythm while the heart rate decreased in all 5 cases of junctional tachycardia. A left ventricular failure with hypotension, a bradycardia at 30/min. and a transient left bundle branch block were observed during treatment. The bundle branch block is explained by an increased ventricular effective, refractory period induced by this beta-blocker. Intravenous sotalol appears as an interesting alternative in the treatment of supraventricular tachycardias with an efficacy of about 70 p. cent; it is well tolerated if the contraindications of the beta-blockers are respected.