PropertyValue
?:abstract
  • Chloroquine is used in the treatment of patients with COVID-19 infection, although there is no substantial evidence for a beneficial effect. Chloroquine is known to prolong the QRS and QTc interval on the ECG. To assess the effect of chloroquine on QRS and QTc intervals in COVID-19 patients, we included all inpatients treated with chloroquine for COVID-19 in the Spaarne Gasthuis (Haarlem/Hoofddorp, the Netherlands) and had an ECG performed both in the 72 h before and during or at least 48 h after treatment. We analyzed the (change in) QRS and QTc interval using the one-sample t-test. Of the 106 patients treated with chloroquine, 70 met the inclusion criteria. The average change in QRS interval was 6.0 ms (95% CI 3.3–8.7) and the average change in QTc interval was 32.6 ms (95% CI 24.9–40.2) corrected with the Bazett’s formula and 38.1 ms (95% CI 30.4–45.9) corrected with the Fridericia’s formula. In 19 of the 70 patients (27%), the QTc interval was above 500 ms after start of chloroquine treatment or the change in QTc interval was more than 60 ms. A heart rate above 90 bpm, renal dysfunction, and a QTc interval below 450 ms were risk factors for QTc interval prolongation. Chloroquine prolongs the QTc interval in a substantial number of patients, potentially causing rhythm disturbances. Since there is no substantial evidence for a beneficial effect of chloroquine, these results discourage its use in COVID-19 patients. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12012-020-09621-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
?:creator
?:doi
  • 10.1007/s12012-020-09621-2
?:doi
?:journal
  • Cardiovasc_Toxicol
?:license
  • no-cc
?:pdf_json_files
  • document_parses/pdf_json/c8eddc2316e7f561774774f55a73d2d718325682.json
?:pmc_json_files
  • document_parses/pmc_json/PMC7778391.xml.json
?:pmcid
?:pmid
?:pmid
  • 33387252.0
?:publication_isRelatedTo_Disease
?:sha_id
?:source
  • Medline; PMC
?:title
  • QTc Prolongation in COVID-19 Patients Using Chloroquine
?:type
?:year
  • 2021-01-02

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