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Review
. 2021 Feb;190(1):403-409.
doi: 10.1007/s11845-020-02291-7. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Clinical guidance for navigating the QTc-prolonging and arrhythmogenic potential of pharmacotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Jennifer Carron  1   2 , Zain Sharif  3   4 , Hafiz Hussein  3   4 , Mark Kennedy  3   4 , Brendan McAdam  3   4 , Richard Sheahan  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Clinical guidance for navigating the QTc-prolonging and arrhythmogenic potential of pharmacotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Jennifer Carron et al. Ir J Med Sci. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), has rapidly spread since December 2019 to become the focus of healthcare systems worldwide. Its highly contagious nature and significant mortality has led to its prioritization as a public health issue. The race to prevent and treat this disease has led to "off-label" prescribing of medications such as hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir). Currently, there is no robust clinical evidence for the use of these drugs in the treatment of COVID-19, with most, if not all of these medications associated with the potential for QT interval prolongation, torsades de pointes, and resultant drug-induced sudden cardiac death. The aim of this document is to help healthcare providers mitigate the potential deleterious effects of drug-induced QTc prolongation.

Keywords: COVID-19; Drug-induced QTc prolongation; Guidelines; Torsades de pointes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

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Check list
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Monitoring guidelines
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Management approach of drug-induced torsades de pointes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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