Mechanisms, Risk Factors, and Management of Acquired Long QT Syndrome : A Comprehensive Review

Long QT syndrome is characterized by prolongation of the corrected QT (QTc) interval on the surface electrocardiogram and is associated with precipitation of torsade de pointes (TdP), a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia that may cause sudden death. Acquired long QT syndrome describes pathologic ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:TheScientificWorld 2012-01, Vol.2012 (2012), p.1-8
Main Authors: Simantirakis, Emmanuel N., Kallergis, Eleftherios M., Vardas, Panos E., Kochiadakis, George E., Goudis, Christos A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino acids
Cardiac arrhythmia
Care and treatment
Development and progression
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
Drugs
EKG
Electrocardiography
Electrocardiography - drug effects
Environmental stress
Female
Heart rate
Humans
Long QT syndrome
Long QT Syndrome - chemically induced
Long QT Syndrome - physiopathology
Long QT Syndrome - prevention & control
Male
Mutation
Physiology
Potassium
Prolongation
Public health
Reversion
Review
Risk analysis
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Sodium
Tachycardia
Torsades de pointes
Torsades de Pointes - physiopathology
Torsades de Pointes - prevention & control
Ventricle
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Summary:Long QT syndrome is characterized by prolongation of the corrected QT (QTc) interval on the surface electrocardiogram and is associated with precipitation of torsade de pointes (TdP), a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia that may cause sudden death. Acquired long QT syndrome describes pathologic excessive prolongation of the QT interval, upon exposure to an environmental stressor, with reversion back to normal following removal of the stressor. The most common environmental stressor in acquired long QT syndrome is drug therapy. Acquired long QT syndrome is an important issue for clinicians and a significant public health problem concerning the large number of drugs with this adverse effect with a potentially fatal outcome, the large number of patients exposed to these drugs, and our inability to predict the risk for a given individual. In this paper, we focus on mechanisms underlying QT prolongation, risk factors for torsades de pointes and describe the short- and long-term treatment of acquired long QT syndrome.
ISSN:2356-6140
1537-744X
1537-744X
DOI:10.1100/2012/212178