QT prolongation due to roxithromycin.

Roxithromycin and other macrolide antimicrobials are widely used for a broad variety of infections such as upper respiratory tract infection and community acquired pneumonia. Prolongation of the QT interval, torsade de pointes polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and sudden death are well described but little known adverse reactions common to all macrolides. We report the case of a 72 year old patient with congestive heart failure caused by ischaemic heart disease who developed severe prolongation of the QT interval after three days of treatment with roxithromycin.