N-Acetylprocainamide (NAPA), a class III antiarrhythmic drug, caused torsade de pointes in a 72 year old woman who had this arrhythmia on two previous occasions while being treated with quinidine and disopyramide. Initial evaluation with an intravenous infusion of NAPA indicated a favorable antiarrhythmic response. The QTC interval was prolonged, but the 2.4 ms/microgram per ml incremental QTC ...

A model to predict risk of mortality may be useful guide treatment decisions for patients at prolonged QTc. This study aimed evaluate the relationship between a modified Tisdale QTc interval score (QTc-RS) and inpatient mortality. was retrospective observational study. QTc-RS calculated across 30 hospitals in U.S. The ranges from zero 23 incorporates following factors: sex, age>67 years, loop d...

BACKGROUND The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is multifactorial in origin, but its causes remain unknown. We previously proposed that prolongation of the QT interval on the electrocardiogram, possibly resulting from a developmental abnormality in cardiac sympathetic innervation, may increase the risk of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and contribute to this devastating disorder. W...

Introduction: Cigarette smoking increases the risk of sudden cardiac death. Smoking may predispose to ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death by altering ventricular repolarization and enhancing sympathetic nervous system activity. We aimed to study the effects of smoking on ventricular repolarization. Methods: We studied 47 healthy subjects. 24 long-term heavy smokers (10 women, mean...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The QT interval on the electrocardiogram has been shown to be longer in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared to that of the general population. The clinical significance of this finding is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between QT interval and subclinical atherosclerosis, measured by carotid-femoral pulse-wave veloc...

BACKGROUND Early studies indicate that prolongation of the interval between the peak and the end of the T wave (Tpeak to Tend [TpTe]) on the 12-lead ECG is a marker of ventricular arrhythmogenesis. However, community-based studies have not been conducted. METHODS AND RESULTS TpTe and other ECG predictors were evaluated in the ongoing Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study based in the Portland,...

OBJECTIVE Previous data have suggested that a prolonged QTc interval during the first days of life can be associated with some cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Analysis of heart rate variability during sleep in future SIDS victims has shown findings compatible with an imbalance in autonomic tone. We hypothesized that some future SIDS infants could have longer QTc intervals during s...