EP-lab drug reference.

Workhorse anticoagulant for left-heart and transseptal cases. Bolus by weight, follow ACTs, redose to stay in window.

Vitamin K antagonist — still first-line for mechanical valves and where DOACs aren't validated. INR monitoring and a long interaction list make it higher-maintenance than the DOACs.

Fast-on, fast-off AV-nodal blocker. Diagnostic for SVT, used to unmask dormant PV conduction, and to test accessory pathways.

Broad-spectrum antiarrhythmic for VT, recurrent AF, and rhythm control in the EP lab. Effective but slow-loading and full of late effects to remember.

A pure IKr blocker for AF/flutter. The most protocol-bound antiarrhythmic we use — mandatory in-hospital initiation with QT checks and renal-based dosing.

A non-iodinated amiodarone analog — fewer organ toxicities, but weaker and with hard limits after the ANDROMEDA and PALLAS trials.

Potent sodium-channel blockers for rhythm control in structurally normal hearts — including 'pill-in-the-pocket' cardioversion. Contraindicated in structural or ischemic heart disease (CAST).

Class IB sodium-channel blocker for ventricular arrhythmias — fast on/off kinetics, best on ischemic and scar-related VT. An alternative to amiodarone in shock-refractory VF/pVT.

A beta-blocker with class III (IKr-blocking) activity — rate and rhythm control in one molecule. QT and renal function govern its safety, and initiation is usually done on telemetry.

Our standard nurse-administered sedation combo for device implants, EP studies, and most right-sided ablations. Titrate to comfort, not to a number.

Anesthesia-administered IV agent for deep sedation and general anesthesia in the EP lab. Fast on, fast off, but narrow safety window — not nurse-pushed.

Heparin reversal agent. Used selectively at the end of left-heart cases or for bleeding — pushed slowly to avoid hypotension.

Anticholinergic for vagally-mediated bradycardia and AV block. Crash-cart staple, used reactively in EP for vagal reactions during sheath placement and ablation.

Non-selective beta-agonist we use to provoke arrhythmias, unmask dormant PV conduction, and tease out latent triggers.

Irreversible COX-1 antiplatelet. Largely not a stroke-prevention drug for AF, but it shows up constantly as background CAD therapy that shapes periprocedural bleeding risk.

The dye for venography and coronary sinus work during implants and ablations. Two things to manage: renal risk and allergic-type reactions — the acute reaction is detailed in the contrast-reaction entry.