Is prolongation of the QTc interval during isoflurane anaesthesia more prominent in women pretreated with anthracyclines for breast cancer?
BACKGROUND
Inhalation anaesthetics and anthracycline chemotherapeutic drugs may both prolong the QT interval of the electrocardiogram. We investigated whether isoflurane may induce or augment QTc prolongation in patients who had previously received cancer chemotherapy including anthracycline drugs.


METHODS
Forty women undergoing surgery for breast cancer were included in the study. They were divided into two groups: (A) women previously treated with anthracyclines (n=20); and (B) women not treated with antineoplastic drugs (n=20). All patients received a standardized balanced anaesthetic in which isoflurane 0.5 vol% was used. The QT and corrected QT intervals were measured before anaesthesia, after induction and tracheal intubation, after 1, 5, 15, 30, 60 and 90 min of anaesthesia, and during recovery.


RESULTS
In both groups we observed a tendency to QTc prolongation, but statistically significant differences among baseline values and values observed during isoflurane-containing anaesthesia were seen only in group A. During anaesthesia, significant differences in QTc values between the two groups were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
In female patients pretreated with anthracyclines for breast cancer, the tendency to QTc prolongation during isoflurane-containing general anaesthesia was more strongly expressed than in patients without previous chemotherapy.
Owczuk
R
R
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki str. 7, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland. r.owczuk@wp.pl
Wujtewicz
M A
MA
Sawicka
W
W
Wujtewicz
M
M
Swierblewski
M
M
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000009:adverse effects; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008133:Long QT Syndrome / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008875:Middle Aged
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D018943:Anthracyclines; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D007530:Isoflurane