title: QT Prolongation and Life Threatening Ventricular Tachycardia in a Patient Injected With Intravenous Meperidine (Demerol®).
abstract: QT prolongation is a serious adverse drug effect, which is associated with an increased risk of Torsade de pointes and sudden death. Many drugs, including both cardiac and non-cardiac drugs, have been reported to cause prolongation of QT interval. Although meperidine has not been considered proarrhythmic, we present a unique case of a 16-year-old boy without an underlying cardiac disease, who developed polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation and QT prolongation after an intravenous meperidine injection. He had no mutation in long QT syndrome genes (KCNQ1, KCNH2, and SCN5A), but single nucleotide polymorphisms were reported, including H558R in SCNA5A and K897T in KCNH2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Mi Kyoung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Eun Jung
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Jae Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.forename: Bo Sang
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Gi Beom
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chung Il
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.forename: Jung Yun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sung Sup
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Park