Antidepressants and QTc prolongation

Paroxetine‐induced QTc prolongation

There have been only two previous reports of paroxetine-induced corrected QT (QTc) prolongation on electrocardiogram (ECG). Here, we report a 43-year-old woman with QTc prolongation (476 ms). She had taken 50 mg of paroxetine for 17 days. Three days after discontinuation of paroxetine, QTc returned to within the normal limits (396 ms). Paroxetine blocks the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HER...

Ketamine-induced QTc interval prolongation

Sir, Ketamine is a noncompetitive antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. It is widely used as a dissociative anesthetic and is also used as an adjunct in pain management, particularly in opioid-tolerant patients. It blocks calcium channels and depresses sodium channel function as well as having anticholinergic effects. It inhibits the re-uptake of the catecholamines and may hav...

Prolongation of QTc and Risk of Stroke

Results The risk of incident stroke in study participants with prolonged QTcFram was almost 3 times the risk in those with normal QTcFram (hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 2.88 [2.12 to 3.92], p 0.0001). After adjustment for demographics (age, race, and sex), traditional stroke risk factors (antihypertensive medication use, systolic blood pressure, current smoking, diabetes, le...

Mortality and QTc prolongation in opioid maintenance treatment

Torsade de Pointes and Persistent QTc Prolongation after Intravenous Amiodarone

We report a case of torsade de pointes after intravenous amiodarone and concurrent hypokalemia. Despite treatment cessation and correction of electrolyte abnormalities, excessive QTc prolongation was noted, which persisted for 14 days. This prolonged course for QTc normalization may be attributed to the high rate of amiodarone loading and concurrent electrolyte disturbances coupled with possibl...