Peter Olexa
Propafenone is a potent and well tolerated anti-arrhythmic drug with a low incidence of adverse effects. It has
been clinically widely used for its effectiveness and high degree of safety in the treatment of a variety of cardiac
arrhythmias,but in particular in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). The essence of the anti-arrhytmic effect
of propafenone is blocking the entry of sodium into cardiomyocytes. To a lesser extent, propafenone effect is also
contributed to by a slight blocking of β-adrenergic receptors. To the least extent, there is the ability to block calcium
and potassium channels. As with other anti-arrhythmic agents, propafenone has a potential to induce, under
certain conditions, the formation of pathological arrhythmias (proarrhythmic effect). This review article describes
the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile of propafenone with rapid and sustained release that are the
basis of the therapeutic characteristics determining its anti-arrhythmic medicinal use.