encainide
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A specific antiarrhythmic medication: Encainide is a pharmaceutical drug used to treat serious, life-threatening heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias). It was marketed under the brand name Enkaid. Its use is associated with an increased risk of sudden death in patients who have had a heart attack.
Usage
- Encainide is a proper noun referring to a specific chemical compound and drug. It is typically used in medical, pharmacological, and clinical contexts.
- It is an uncountable noun when referring to the substance itself (e.g., a dose of encainide).
- Example:
Examples
- Medical Context:
- The physician prescribed encainide to manage the patient's severe ventricular tachycardia.
- Due to its proarrhythmic effects, encainide is no longer widely used in clinical practice.
- The pharmacokinetics of encainide are complex, with active metabolites.
Advanced Usage
- Historical/Clinical Context: Encainide is often discussed in the context of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST), which demonstrated that certain antiarrhythmic drugs, including encainide, could increase mortality despite suppressing arrhythmias.
- Example: The CAST results led to a major paradigm shift in the treatment of arrhythmias and the withdrawal of encainide from the market.
Variants and Related Words
- Enkaid: The former brand name/trade name for encainide.
- Antiarrhythmic (drug/agent): The general class of drugs to which encainide belongs. Encainide is classified as a Class IC antiarrhythmic.
- Flecainide: Another Class IC antiarrhythmic drug with a similar profile and history.
Synonyms
- Antiarrhythmic agent: A general term for drugs that treat irregular heartbeats.
- Class IC antiarrhythmic: The specific pharmacological classification for encainide.
Notes on Meaning
- The primary meaning of "encainide" is as a specific drug entity. It does not have other common non-medical meanings, idioms, or phrasal verbs associated with it. Its definition is tightly bound to its pharmacological action and clinical history.
Noun
- antiarrhythmic drug (trade name Enkaid) used to treat life-threatening arrhythmias but increases the risk of sudden death in heart attack patients