Torsade de pointes and low-dose oral haloperidol

Abstract

Haloperidol, used to treat patients with psychoses, is considered minimally cardiotoxic. Several cases of torsade de pointes have been reported in association with the use of oral haloperidol. In each of those cases, a prolonged QTc preceded the torsade de pointes episode and thus may be considered a predictor for ventricular arrhythmias in elderly women treated with haloperidol. However, the following case may demonstrate the inability to predict an episode of torsade de pointes with low-dose oral haloperidol use.