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Observational Study
. 2014 Mar-Apr;47(2):244-50.
doi: 10.1016/j.jelectrocard.2013.12.002. Epub 2013 Dec 4.

Racial susceptibility for QT prolongation in acute drug overdoses

Alex F Manini  1 , Barry Stimmel  2 , David Vlahov  3
Affiliations
Observational Study

Racial susceptibility for QT prolongation in acute drug overdoses

Alex F Manini et al. J Electrocardiol. 2014 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Background and purpose: QT prolongation independently predicts adverse cardiovascular events in suspected poisoning. We aimed to evaluate the association between race and drug-induced QT prolongation for patients with acute overdose.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study at two urban teaching hospitals. Consecutive adult ED patients with acute drug overdose were prospectively enrolled over a two year period. The primary outcome, long-QT, was defined using standard criteria: QTc>470 ms in females and>460 ms in males. The association between race and drug-induced QT prolongation was tested, considering several confounding variables.

Results: In 472 patients analyzed (46% female, mean age 42.3), QT prolongation occurred in 12.7%. Blacks had two-fold increased odds of drug-induced QT prolongation (OR 2.01, CI 1.03-3.91) and Hispanics had 48% decreased odds of drug-induced QT prolongation (OR 0.52, CI 0.29-0.94).

Conclusions: We found significant racial susceptibility to drug-induced QT prolongation in this large urban study of acute overdoses.

Keywords: Overdose; QT prolongation; Racial differences.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Screening, Enrollment, and Prevalence of Drug Induced QT Prolongation Figure 1 Legend: Prolonged QTc defined as >460 ms in men and >470 ms in women. Figure 1 Abbreviations: ECG = electrocardiogram; QTc = Bazett's corrected QT interval.
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