Cor Vasa 2003, 44(10):513-515

The monitoring of proarrhythmic effects of noncardiovascular drugs-a pilot study

Tomáš Novotný^1,*, Alena Floriánová¹, Bořivoj Semrád¹, Jitka Kadlecová², Eva Češková³, Radovan Přikryl³, Jana Tomanová³, Jiří Dolina⁴, Zuzana Plottová⁴, Ivo Papoušek⁵, Karel Chroust⁵

¹ Interní kardiologická klinika

² Oddělení lékařské genetiky

³ Psychiatrická klinika

⁴ Interní gastroenterologická klinika, Fakultní nemocnice Brno

⁵ Katedra genetiky a molekulární biologie, Přírodovědecká fakulta Masarykovy univerzity, Brno, Česká republika

The aim of our project is the monitoring of proarrhythmic effects - i. e., the acquired long QT syndrome - of selected noncardiovascular drugs and to explore the possible molecular linkage to the hereditary long QT syndrome. In patients treated with drugs with a known proarrhythmic potential (antipsychotics, tricyclic antidepressants, cisapride), the QT interval is assessed. In individuals with QT prolongation, mutation analysis of the KVLQT1-KCNQ1, HERG-KCNH2, SCN5A, KCNE1, KCNE2 genes is performed. So far, ECGs from 297 patients have been evaluated. In 1 patient treated by cisapride, QTc prolongation of 0.52 s was observed. Mutational analysis of the above mentioned genes showed no mutation. Exploring the molecular genetic level of acquired LQTS is a form of basic research intended to help develop a molecular model of arrhythmogenesis. Consequently, improvement of the monitoring system in University Hospital Brno will increase the probability of proarrhythmic event recording allowing early drug withdrawal.

Keywords: Long QT syndrome; Proarrhythmia; Sudden cardiac death; Torsade de pointes

Published: October 1, 2003  Show citation