The QT interval is normally < 450 ms in males, < 470 ms in females.
Prolongation is associated with a risk of the arrhythmia torsades de pointea (TdP), a potentially life threatening ventricular arrhythmia, when drugs that further prolong the QT are administered. Examples of these drug classes are include:
- Antiarrhythmics: Amiodarone, Satalol, Quinidine, Procainamide
- Antibiotics: Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin, Moxifloxacin, Erythromycin, Ketoconazole
- Antidepressants: Amitriptyline, Imipramine, Desipramine, Fluoxetine, Sertaline
- Antipsychotics: Droperidol, Haloperidol, Thioridazine
- Others: Dolasetron, Zofran, Methadone, all the halogenated anesthetics
References
- Peter Nagele, Swatilika Pal, Frank Brown, Jane Blood, J Philipp Miller, Joshua Johnston Postoperative QT interval prolongation in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery under general anesthesia. Anesthesiology: 2012, 117(2);321-8 PubMed Link
Other References
- Keys to the Cart: February 5, 2018; a 5-minute video review of ABA Keywords Link
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