Remdesivir therapy causing bradycardia in COVID-19 patients: Two case reports

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been an enormous public health challenge. The pursuit for an effective therapy led to the use of the antiviral drug Remdesivir for hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. We reported two cases of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and worsening oxygen requirements. Both patients developed sinus bradycardia following the initiation of Remdesivir therapy and reverted after stopping it. One of the patients developed QTc interval prolongation and required intensive care unit admission. The proposed mechanism for Remdesivir-induced bradycardia and cardiac toxicity could be due to the intrinsic electrophysiological properties and the effect on the AV node; yet, further large observational studies are warranted for better understanding and correlation of Remdesivir with cardiac adverse events. Till then, healthcare providers need to be alert of this potential adverse event and to monitor their COVID-19 patients closely while on Remdesivir therapy.

Keywords

• Remdesivir
• COVID-19
• Bradycardia
• Viral pneumonia
• SARS-CoV-2