Comparing the effects of Adenosine and Verapamil on Paroxysmal Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (PSVT)

There are multiple drugs options in the treatment of Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT) after ineffective vagal stimulation. In this study we compare two of these treatments: verapamil versus adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Sixty six patients with PSVT were randomly treated with either Verapamil (5 to 10 mg) or ATP (5 to 20 mg). The basal features of each group, and the efficacy and safety of the two drugs were compared. Verapamil failures were treated with ATP and vice versa.
The age and gender characteristics of both groups of treatment were similar. The mean heart rate after treatment was 87.27±8.39 and 71.66±5.95 in adenosine and verapamil groups respectively and significant heart rate differences observed between the groups after treatment (P Verapamil is as effective in treating PSVT as ATP but has a delayed effect. Concerning side effects, there was no difference between two groups except headache which was more in adenosine group.