In managing a patient with ventricular tachycardia who is stable, which of the following treatments is preferred?

In the management of a stable patient with ventricular tachycardia (VT), procainamide is often preferred because it is an antiarrhythmic agent that effectively slows conduction through the His-Purkinje system and decreases automaticity. This can help restore normal rhythm while the patient is stable, allowing for a non-invasive approach to managing the arrhythmia. Procainamide's effectiveness particularly makes it suitable for acute situations where rapid control over the arrhythmia is necessary but the patient does not present with significant hemodynamic instability.

While intravenous amiodarone is also an option for treating ventricular tachycardia, it is generally more suitable for patients who may not be stable or for those with other arrhythmias, and it can have more complex side effects and interactions. Immediate direct current cardioversion is typically reserved for patients who are unstable, as it is a more aggressive intervention, and intravenous lidocaine is more commonly used for ventricular arrhythmias following a myocardial infarction rather than for stable VT. Thus, the choice of procainamide balances efficacy with the patient's hemodynamic status, guiding a more conservative yet effective treatment approach.