QTc Risk Clinical Decision Support: A Primer For Healthcare Providers

SECTION 2: Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death: Prolonged QTc and TdP

The second education module in a series of four will focus on prolonged QTc intervals and torsades de pointes as risk factors for sudden cardiac death.

At the conclusion of this module, you will be invited to take a short knowledge test to give you immediate feedback regarding your understanding of the provided material.

COVERED IN SECTION TWO

Risk Factors for Drug-induced Torsade de Pointes:

This module begins with a review of risk factors for torsades de pointes, including:

• Torsades de pointes is extremely rare in the absence of risk factors.
• Evidence showing that nearly one hundred percent of patients with drug-induced torsade de pointes had at least one risk factor.
• That nearly three-quarters of these patients had two or more risk factors. 

Risk Factors for Torsade de Pointes - Illustrated Case Study:

The main portion of this module further explores drug-induced torsades de pointes by examining an actual patient case study and assessing the individual risk factors the patient presented. In the introduced case, the patient was a sixty-five (65) year old female, who presented with weakness, diminished urine production and diarrhea. She was admitted with the diagnoses of acute kidney injury and a urinary tract infection.

Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes

Finally, this module concludes with a review of studies published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. These studies were undertaken with the objective of developing and validating a risk score to identify hospitalized patients who are at the highest risk of QTc interval prolongation. This module discusses the criteria necessary — as outlined by these studies — to determine a risk score for patients who may be at risk for torsades de pointes.