Conclusion
The use of a one-day IV sotalol loading protocol for atrial and
ventricular arrhythmias is safe and well tolerated. It reduces length of
stay from an average of 3.6 days to 1 day compared to oral sotalol
loading, which can translate into significant cost and resource savings.
QT prolongation appears to be near its greatest immediately after
sotalol infusion, which suggests discharge after infusion may be
possible. Studies evaluating accelerated discharge after a single oral
dose as well as an expanded multi-center registry of patients undergoing
IV sotalol initiation are forthcoming.