Treatment of Acute Arrhythmias with Orally Administered Tolamolol

¹ Chief of Cardiology, Long Beach Veterans Administration Hospital; Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine, University of California College of Medicine, Irvine
² Cardiology Section, Medical Service, Long Beach Veterans Administration Hospital, and the University of California College of Medicine, Irvine

Orally administered tolamolol, a new cardioselective beta-adrenergic blocking drug, was evaluated in 30 patients with supraventricular arrhythmias or digitalis-induced arrhythmias. Tolamolol therapy slowed the rapid ventricular rate in ten of ten patients with atrial fibrillation and converted two of these ten patients to sinus rhythm. It slowed the rapid ventricular rate in eight of eight patients with atrial flutter and converted two of these eight cases to sinus rhythm. It converted to sinus rhythm four of four patients with paroxysmal atrial tachycardia or paroxysmal atrioventricular AV junctional tachycardia. It abolished supraventricular premature ventricular beats in three of three patients. It abolished digitalis-induced paroxysmal atrial tachycardia with AV block in three of three patients, digitalis-induced premature ventricular contractions in three of three patients, and digitalis-induced AV junctional tachycardia in one patient. Oral administration was effective in treating supraventricular arrhythmias and certain digitalis-induced arrhythmias.