The Antipsychotic and Antiemetic Drug Prochlorperazine Delays the Ventricular Repolarization of the In Situ Canine Heart

Abstract

Electropharmacological effect of the antipsychotic and antiemetic drug prochlorperazine was assessed using the halothane-anesthetized in vivo canine model (n = 5). Up to 10 times higher than the clinically relevant doses of prochlorperazine (≤ 3mg/kg, i.v.) did not induce cardiohemodynamic collapse in the model. Meanwhile, clinically relevant to supratherapeutic doses (0.3 – 3 mg/kg, i.v.) prolonged the ventricular repolarization period in a dose-related and reverse-use dependent manner that could become proarrhythmic substrates. Thus, caution has to be paid on the use of prochlorperazine particularly for patients with risks of the elevated plasma drug concentration, compromised cardiac repolarization, and/or frequent ventricular premature beats. Keywords:: prochlorperazine, antipsychotic drug, monophasic action potential, long QT syndrome, torsades de pointes