Combined Fluoroquinolone/Azole Use Requires QT-Interval Monitoring

Twenty-two percent of hematology patients receiving this combination experienced QT-interval prolongation and were thus at risk for developing torsades de pointes.

In hematology patients, fluoroquinolones and azoles are often used together to prevent or treat infection. Drugs in either of these classes can prolong the corrected QT interval (QTc) and may even cause torsades de pointes. However, it remains unknown whether these drugs, when combined, work synergistically to further prolong the QTc.

To explore this possibility, researchers at the Mayo Clinic conducted a retrospective case series involving 94 hematology or bone marrow transplant patients who were treated with a fluoroquinolone and an azole between October 20008 and January 2010 and had electrocardiograms performed before initiation of combination treatment and during such treatment, after ≥2 days of therapy. All patients received either lev…

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection