There has been an increasing focus on drug induced QT prolongation including research on drug development and QT prolongation, following the removal of drugs due to torsades de pointes (TdP). Although this has improved our understanding of drug-induced QT prolongation there has been much less research aimed at helping clinicians assess risk in individual patients with drug induced QT prolongati...

Macrolide antibiotics are known to have a different proarrhythmic potential in the presence of comparable QT prolongation in the surface ECG. Because the extent of QT prolongation has been used as a surrogate marker for cardiotoxicity, we aimed to study the different electrophysiological effects of the macrolide antibiotics erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin in a previously develope...

The mechanism of twitch prolongation of hypoxic myocardium after reoxygenation was studied before and after interventions that affect cellular cyclic nucleotide levels, subcellular calcium handling, or oxygen-derived free radical production/survival. Right ventricular ferret papillary muscles were subjected to two 20-minute periods of hypoxia, each followed by 1 hour of reoxygenation. The first...

Purpose: Although the ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein) drug transporter is a constituent of several blood–tissue barriers (i.e., blood–brain and blood–nerve), its participation in a putative blood–heart barrier has been poorly explored. ABCB1 could decrease the intracardiac concentrations of drugs that cause QT prolongation and cardiotoxicity. Experimental Design: ABCB1-related romidepsin transport kinet...

BACKGROUND Cerebral perfusion can be evaluated using a computed tomography (CT) scan by intravenous bolus injection of contrast media. The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of CT perfusion (CTP) in follow-up of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed pre- and postoperative CTP studies in 14 patients who received EC-IC bypass surge...

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...

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 ...

The QT interval represents ventricular depolarisation and repolarisation. Prolongation of this interval can lead to life-threatening complications. These can include arrhythmias such as Torsades de Pointes and Ventricular Fibrillation, which may ultimately lead to death. Many risk factors have been identified in prolonging the QT interval, one of which is medication commonly used in the treatme...