Amiodarone (the generic name of Cordarone, Nexterone and Pacerone) is a medication used to treat cardiac arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythm, including atrial fibrillation.

Cardiac arrhythmia is one of the most common heart disorders, and amiodarone is used to restore regular heart rhythm by blocking certain electrical signals in the heart that can lead to an irregular heartbeat.

What are common side effects of amiodarone?

Amiodarone, like any medication, comes with certain drug side effects. The drug’s warning label notes the risk of a number of complications, including nausea, vomiting, and constipation, among others. The anti-arrhythmic drug has also been linked with more serious complications, like a more irregular heartbeat, severe dizziness, fainting, and thyroid problems.

Some patients may even be affected by a serious side effect known as amiodarone lung toxicity.

What is amiodarone lung toxicity?

Amiodarone lung toxicity may be caused by damage to the lung tissues incurred by the drug, by an immune reaction to the drug, or something else. Regardless, amiodarone lung toxicity can be extremely serious, affects about five percent of those who take the drug, and can come in four different forms.

The first—and most dangerous—type of amiodarone toxicity is called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is both sudden and life-threatening. When a person suffers from ARDS, the lung’s air sacs are damaged, fill with fluid, and make it difficult to breathe, typically requiring them to be placed on ventilators. The mortality rate for ARDS is high – around 50 percent.

Fortunately, while ARDS is the most dangerous form of amiodarone toxicity, it is not the most common. Instead, the most common form is interstitial pneumonitis (IP), which is a chronic lung problem that allows the lungs to gradually accumulate fluid and impairs the exchange of gasses that takes place in the lungs. IP is a more gradual issue, and for this reason it can often be missed.

A less common form of pulmonary toxicity caused by amiodarone are “typical-pattern” pneumonias, which involves localized congestion very similar to that of bacterial pneumonia, and can therefore delay correct diagnosis with amiodarone lung toxicity.

In rare cases, amiodarone pulmonary toxicity can lead to a single lung mass that can be mistaken for a tumor that is generally only recognized after a biopsy.

How is lung toxicity from amiodarone diagnosed?

Strong clues that a person is suffering from amiodarone lung toxicity can be gleaned from biopsy and pulmonary lavage. The most important thing, though, is that people remain aware that lung toxicity is a risk of amiodarone—that way, they know that their supposed tumor, pneumonia, or other unexpected complication may actually be caused by amiodarone and therefore treated accordingly.

Can I file an amiodarone lawsuit?

If you or someone you love has suffered from amiodarone complications like pulmonary toxicity, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation. Of course, filing a lawsuit cannot undo the pain and suffering caused by these complications, but it can at least help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses, lost wages, and more.