Antiarrhythmics
Medication class detail with safety cues and nursing action focus.
Cardiacneeds review
Antiarrhythmics
Examples: amiodarone, adenosine, lidocaine
Mechanism
Changes cardiac electrical conduction to terminate or prevent unsafe rhythms.
Used for
- SVT
- Ventricular dysrhythmias
- Atrial fibrillation rhythm support
Side effects
- Bradycardia
- Hypotension
- QT prolongation
- Pulmonary and thyroid toxicity with amiodarone
Nursing actions
- Use continuous ECG monitoring when indicated.
- Assess pulse, blood pressure, and signs of poor perfusion.
- For adenosine, prepare for brief asystole sensation and flush rapidly per protocol.
Hold / question cues
- Unstable client without emergency protocol
- Severe bradycardia
- Marked QT prolongation
Antidote / reversal
- No routine class-specific antidote or reversal agent is seeded for this class; hold/question unsafe doses, support ABCs, notify the provider, and use facility or poison-control guidance for toxicity.
NCLEX pearl
- Treat the patient, then the rhythm strip.
Individual drug cards
Related study cards
Shows conditions, glossary terms, Drive entities, and source-linked cards connected to this medication class.
Source entitymedication class
Anti-arrhythmics
Use this medication class topic as a source-linked NCLEX review card for priority assessment, medication safety, client teaching, and first nursing action decisions.
Drugmedication class
Adenosine (Adenocard)
Adenosine requires rapid IV administration with immediate flush and ECG monitoring.
Drugmedication class
Amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone)
New dyspnea or cough can signal pulmonary toxicity.
Conditionmedication safety
Atrial fibrillation
Irregularly irregular rhythm.
Conditionmedication safety
SVT
Narrow fast regular rhythm.
Conditionmedication safety
V-fib
No pulse with chaotic rhythm.
Conditionmedication safety
V-tach
Wide-complex tachycardia.
Termmedication cue
SVT
Fast rhythm starting above the ventricles.