Studies of the effect of antiarrhythmic drugs on carbohydrate metabolism of rat heart muscle in vitro.

THE action of antiarrhythmic drugs on heart muscle has been studied extensively by electrophysiologic and biochemical technics. There is general agreement that a common property of the antiarrhythmic drugs now in clinical use is the ability to decrease the excitability of the myocardium. There are many possible ways in which such an action could be brought about. One suggestion is that such drugs prolong the recovery period of heart muscle by depressing energy-yielding reactions of carbohydrate metabolism.