Flecainide

• Treatment of AV nodal reciprocating tachycardia; arrhythmias associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and similar conditions with accessory pathways, when other treatment has been ineffective. • Treatment of severe symptomatic and life-threatening paroxysmal ventricular arrhythmia which has failed to respond to other forms of therapy or where other treatments have not been tolerated.

• Treatment of paroxysmal atrial arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and atrial tachycardia) in patients with disabling symptoms after conversion provided that there is definite need for treatment on the basis of severity of clinical symptoms, when other treatment has been ineffective.

Structural heart disease and/or impaired left ventricular function should be excluded because of the increased risk for pro-arrhythmic effects.

INDICATIONS AND USAGE

In patients without structural heart disease, flecainide is indicated for the prevention of - paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardias (PSVT), including atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia and other supraventricular tachycardias of unspecified mechanism associated with disabling symptoms - paroxysmal atrial fibrillation/flutter (PAF) associated with disabling symptoms.

Flecainide is also indicated for the prevention of - documented ventricular arrhythmias, such as sustained ventricular tachycardia ( sustained VT), that in the judgment of the physician, are life-threatening. Use of flecainide for the treatment of sustained VT, like other antiarrhythmics, should be initiated in the hospital.

The use of flecainide is not recommended in patients with less severe ventricular arrhythmias even if the patients are symptomatic. Because of the proarrhythmic effects of flecainide, its use should be reserved for patients in whom, in the opinion of the physician, the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks.