Adenosine Briefly Pauses The Heart

Doctors sometimes use a medication called adenosine to "reset" the heart that has abnormal rhythms in excess of 200 beats per minute. Given as a rapid intravenous injection, the drug temporarily blocks electrical conduction through the atrioventricular, or AV, node. This can produce several seconds of ventricular asystole, effectively pausing the heartbeat, before a normal rhythm resumes. The body clears adenosine almost immediately because its half-life lasts less than 10 seconds.

Previous Fact Next Fact