Amiodarone vs Lidocaine in VF/pVT Cardiac Arrest

There has been debate over the years about Amiodarone versus Lidocaine, in the treatment of VF/pVT.

Amiodarone was added to the AHA Guidelines in 2000. Previously, Lidocaine was the primary medication used to manage VF/pVT. These days, most clinicians use Amiodarone, but Lidocaine is acceptable.

Wagner et al. published in Chest (2022) the comparison of Amiodarone versus Lidocaine for Treatment of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest:

Wagner et al. also published a paper in November 2019 in Circulation that looked at Amiodarone versus Lidocaine with similar outcomes.

Will Lidocaine become the primary anti-arrhythmic used to manage VF/pVT in the 2025 AHA guidelines?

For our video on Amiodarone: https://youtu.be/Nw-YbO0WXYY?si=YpdyXh9y48BoCa02

For our video on Lidocaine: https://youtu.be/1UUVJ1z_tTk?si=KAl3fv0_UTTGxNw_

Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. While we strive for 100% accuracy, errors may occur, and medications or protocols may change over time.