Assessment of Prescribing and Monitoring Habits for Patients Taking an Antiarrhythmic and Concomitant QTc-Prolonging Antibiotic

Pharmacy : Journal of Pharmacy, Education and Practice
Kelsey NossTravis Reinaker

Abstract

Patients may intermittently require antimicrobial therapy with a QTc-prolonging antibiotic, which presents a challenge for prescribers of patients already taking a QTc-prolonging antiarrhythmic. Manufacturers recommend close monitoring for evidence of QTc-prolongation with the concomitant use of QTc-prolonging medications, but the monitoring parameters are not well-defined. Previous studies recommend a surveillance electrocardiogram (EKG) be completed both before and after the initiation of QTc-prolonging medications, but it is unknown to what degree EKGs displaying the QTc-interval are used to alter physician order entry and pharmacist order verification during concomitant therapy. A retrospective chart review was conducted between October 2015-September 2016 to assess prescribing and monitoring habits for patients taking an antiarrhythmic and a concomitant QTc-prolonging antibiotic. Of the 42 patients who received at least one dose of two QTc-prolonging agents, 36 (85.7%) received a baseline EKG, and 23 (63.8%) received a follow-up EKG. Pharmacists intervened on this drug-drug interaction and recommended follow-up EKGs only three times (8.3%) and offered alternative therapy recommendations once (2.8%). The QTc-interval was no...Continue Reading

References

Sep 5, 2002·British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology·Rashmi R Shah
Feb 27, 2010·Journal of the American College of Cardiology·Barbara J DrewUNKNOWN American College of Cardiology Foundation
Oct 1, 2012·Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety·Senthil NachimuthuJeffrey M Schussler

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Dec 20, 2018·Pharmacy : Journal of Pharmacy, Education and Practice·Sofia Kälvemark Sporrong, Susanne Kaae

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anti-Arrhythmic Drug Therapies

Anti-arrhythmic drugs are used to prevent abnormal heart rhythms. These medications are used in conditions including, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation and atrial fibrillation. Discover the latest research on anti-arrhythmic drug therapies here.

Arrhythmia

Arrhythmias are abnormalities in heart rhythms, which can be either too fast or too slow. They can result from abnormalities of the initiation of an impulse or impulse conduction or a combination of both. Here is the latest research on arrhythmias.

Antiarrhythmic Agents: Mechanisms of Action

Understanding the mechanism of action of antiarrhythmic agents is essential in developing new medications as treatment of cardiac arrhythmias is currently limited by the reduced availability of safe and effective drugs. Discover the latest research on Antiarrhythmic Agents: Mechanism of Action here.

Related Papers

Journal of Primary Health Care
Amanda WheelerLisa Nissen
Pharmacology & Therapeutics
L S Dreifus, J Morganroth
Substance Abuse : Official Publication of the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse
Nicholas E HagemeierRobert P Pack
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved