Sir: Although concerns about sudden cardiac arrhythmia death associated with the use of an antipsychotic drug actually predate the description of torsades de pointes, it is this fatal arrhythmia and its electrocardiographic (ECG) predictor (corrected QT [QTc] interval prolongation) that have become of increasing concern related to the use of antipsychotic medications during recent years. The fi...

BACKGROUND The 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 antagonists, or setrons (eg, ondansetron), are commonly used for nausea and vomiting in the hospital setting. In 2001, droperidol was given a black box warning because it was found to prolong the QT interval and induce arrhythmias. The setrons share with droperidol the same potential proarrhythmic mechanisms, but limited data exist concerning their effe...

Correspondence to: Dr Yee Guan Yap, Department of Cardiological Sciences, St George’s Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, UK; [email protected] _________________________ I n 1966, Francois Dessertenne described a specific electrocardiographic form of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, which he termed ‘‘torsades de pointes’’ (TdP). w2 The word ‘‘torsades’’ refers to an ornam...

INTRODUCTION i.v. haloperidol is used commonly for sedation in critically ill patients. However, i.v. haloperidol has been shown to cause the life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmia torsades de pointes. Mechanisms by which haloperidol causes torsades de pointes have not been widely investigated in controlled studies. STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine the effects of i.v. haloperidol on electr...

BACKGROUND Abnormal cardiac repolarization, indicated by a prolongation of the QT interval, increases the risk for torsades de pointes, a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia. Many perioperatively administered drugs and conditions prolong the QT interval. Despite several reports of perioperative torsades de pointes, systematic evidence regarding perioperative QT interval prolongation is limi...

A case of torsades de pointes is reported following administration of amiodarone concurrent with the fluoroquinolone levofloxacin. Prolongation of the QTc interval has occurred with the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics. The incidence of torsades has been considered rare with amiodarone. Caution is warranted when these two agents are administered concurrently.

Drugs often have undesired side effects. In the heart, they can induce lethal arrhythmias such as torsades de pointes. The risk evaluation of a new compound is costly and can take a long time, which often hinders the development of new drugs. Here, we establish a high-resolution, multiscale computational model to quickly assess the cardiac toxicity of new and existing drugs. The input of the mo...

Although amiodarone appears to have few pro-arrhythmic effects, torsade de pointes (TdP) has been observed during long-term drug administration, usually in conjunction with electrolyte disturbances, a change in drug dosage, or concomitant drug therapy. We report two cases of amiodarone-induced TdP shortly after administration of a low dose of oral amiodarone, in the absence of predisposing fact...