Azithromycin and risk of sudden cardiac death: Guilty as charged or falsely accused

Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine

Volumn 80, Issue 9, 2013, Pages 539-544

  Giudicessi, John R ^a   Ackerman, Michael J ^b  

^a MAYO CLINIC COLLEGE OF MEDICINE   (United States)

^b MAYO CLINIC   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ANTIINFECTIVE AGENT; AZITHROMYCIN;

DRUG SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM; FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION; HUMAN; NOTE; PRACTICE GUIDELINE; RISK ASSESSMENT; RISK FACTOR; SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH; UNITED STATES;

ADVERSE DRUG REACTION REPORTING SYSTEMS; ANTI-BACTERIAL AGENTS; AZITHROMYCIN; DEATH, SUDDEN, CARDIAC; HUMANS; PRACTICE GUIDELINES AS TOPIC; RISK ASSESSMENT; RISK FACTORS; UNITED STATES; UNITED STATES FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION;

EID: 84887363636     PISSN: 08911150     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.3949/ccjm.80a.13077     Document Type: Note

References (16)

1. Hopkins S. Clinical toleration and safety of azithromycin. Am J Med 1991; 91:40S-45S.
2. Milberg P, Eckardt L, Bruns HJ, et al. Divergent proarrhythmic potential of macrolide antibiotics despite similar QT prolongation: fast phase 3 repolarization prevents early afterdepolarizations and torsade de pointes. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2002; 303:218-225.
3. Ioannidis JP, Contopoulos-Ioannidis DG, Chew P, Lau J. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the comparative efficacy and safety of azithromycin against other antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections. J Antimicrob Chemother 2001; 48:677-689.
4. Owens RC Jr, Nolin TD. Antimicrobial-associated QT interval prolongation: pointes of interest. Clin Infect Dis 2006; 43:1603-1611.
5. Arellano-Rodrigo E, García A, Mont L, Roqué M. Torsade de pointes and cardiorespiratory arrest induced by azithromycin in a patient with congenital long QT syndrome. (Article in Spanish.) Med Clin (Barc) 2001; 117:118-119.
6. Raschi E, Poluzzi E, Koci A, Moretti U, Sturkenboom M, De Ponti F. Macrolides and torsadogenic risk: emerging issues from the fda pharmacovigilance database. J Pharmacovigilance 2013; 1:104.
7. Shaffer D, Singer S, Korvick J, Honig P. Concomitant risk factors in reports of torsades de pointes associated with macrolide use: review of the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System. Clin Infect Dis 2002; 35:197-200.
8. Stephenson WP, Hauben M. Data mining for signals in spontaneous reporting databases: proceed with caution. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2007; 16:359-365.
9. Bate A, Evans SJ. Quantitative signal detection using spontaneous ADR reporting. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2009; 18:427-436.
10. Ray WA, Murray KT, Hall K, Arbogast PG, Stein CM. Azithromycin and the risk of cardiovascular death. N Engl J Med 2012; 366:1881-1890.
11. Mosholder AD, Mathew J, Alexander JJ, Smith H, Nambiar S. Cardiovascular risks with azithromycin and other antibacterial drugs. N Engl J Med 2013; 368:1665-1668.
12. Louie R. Azithromycin and the risk of cardiovascular death. N Engl J Med 2012; 367:774-775.
13. Koga T, Imaoka H. Azithromycin and the risk of cardiovascular death. N Engl J Med 2012; 367:774-775.
14. Svanström H, Pasternak B, Hviid A. Use of azithromycin and death from cardiovascular causes. N Engl J Med 2013; 368:1704-1712.
15. Drew BJ, Ackerman MJ, Funk M, et al; American Heart Association Acute Cardiac Care Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology, the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing, and the American College of Cardiology Foundation. Prevention of torsade de pointes in hospital settings: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology Foundation. Circulation 2010; 121:1047-1060.
16. Haugaa KH, Bos JM, Tarrell RF, Morlan BW, Caraballo PJ, Ackerman MJ. Institution-wide QT alert system identifies patients with a high risk of mortality. Mayo Clin Proc 2013; 88:315-325.