Proarrhythmic and Torsadogenic Effects of Potassium Channel Blockers in Patients.
The most common arrhythmia requiring drug treatment is atrial fibrillation (AF), which affects 2 to 5 million Americans and continues to be a major cause of morbidity and increased mortality. Despite recent advances in catheter-based and surgical therapies, antiarrhythmic drugs continue to be the mainstay of therapy for most patients with symptomatic AF. However, many antiarrhythmics block the rapid component of the cardiac delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr) as a major mechanism of action, and marked QT prolongation and pause-dependent polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (torsades de pointes) are major class toxicities.
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 South Wood Street, Suite 920 (MC715), Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Mark
M
McCauley
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 South Wood Street, Suite 920 (MC715), Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Sharath
S
Vallabhajosyula
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 South Wood Street, Suite 920 (MC715), Chicago, IL 60612, USA. Electronic address: darbar@uic.edu.
Dawood
D
Darbar
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016171:Torsades de Pointes
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers
Arrhythmia; Potassium channel blocker; Torsades de pointes