ADVERSE REACTIONS
Cardiovascular Effects
In patients receiving milrinone in Phase II and III clinical trials, ventricular arrhythmias were reported in 12.1%: Ventricular ectopic activity, 8.5%; nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, 2.8%; sustained ventricular tachycardia, 1% and ventricular fibrillation, 0.2% (2 patients experienced more than one type of arrhythmia). Holter recordings demonstrated that in some patients injection of milrinone increased ventricular ectopy, including nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. Life-threatening arrhythmias were infrequent and when present have been associated with certain underlying factors such as preexisting arrhythmias, metabolic abnormalities (e.g. hypokalemia), abnormal digoxin levels and catheter insertion. Milrinone was not shown to be arrhythmogenic in an electrophysiology study. Supraventricular arrhythmias were reported in 3.8% of the patients receiving milrinone. The incidence of both supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias has not been related to the dose or plasma milrinone concentration.
Other cardiovascular adverse reactions include hypotension, 2.9% and angina/chest pain, 1.2%.
In the post marketing experience, there have been rare cases of "torsades de pointes" reported.
CNS Effects
Headaches, usually mild to moderate in severity, have been reported in 2.9% of patients receiving milrinone.
Other Effects
Other adverse reactions reported, but not definitely related to the administration of milrinone include hypokalemia, 0.6%; tremor, 0.4%; and thrombocytopenia, 0.4%.
Isolated spontaneous reports of bronchospasm and anaphylactic shock have been received; and in the post-marketing experience, liver function test abnormalities and skin reactions have been reported.
Post-Marketing Adverse Event Reports
In addition to adverse events reported from clinical trials, the following events have been reported from worldwide post-marketing experience with milrinone:
Isolated spontaneous reports of bronchospasm and anaphylactic shock.
Liver function test abnormalities and skin reactions such as rash.
Administration site conditions: Infusion site reaction