TORSADOGENIC INDEX: A proposal to improve survival rates in cardiac arrests due to prescribed drugs

Abstract

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Since unexpected sudden deaths have been reported with the use of diversal non-cardiac drugs, cardio-safety experts focused their attention on security measures to improve survival rates in heart stoppages due to this prescribed drugs. Considering that prolongation of the QTc is a reliable marker of a menacing arrhythmia called torsade de pointes (TdP) - that can progress to ventricular fibrillation, application of Bazett or Rautaharhu formulas can lead to a proper predictive valuation of a "torsadogenic risk".Case-analysis raises up the proposal that QTc or QTp will allow to identify high risk groups; performs a close pharmaco- vigilance and legally register ECG follow -up, avoiding unnecessary withdrawal of useful drugs from market.

Keywords

• non- cardiac drugs
• sudden death
• torsadogenic risk
• predictive evaluation
• follow-up