Does Azithromycin Cause QT Prolongation in Hospitalized Patients With Severe Community Acquired Pneumonia?

HaEmek Medical Center, Israel148 enrolled

Overview

The macrolide group of antibiotics can cause QT prolongation, and endanger the patient with life threatening arrythmias. QT prolongation caused by Azythromycin, a relatively new macrolide, is extremely rare, and was not reported in clinical trials. Our hypothesis is that patients hospitalized with severe community acquired pneumonia, usually with multiple comorbid conditions will have a higher rate of QT prolongation, compared to the clinical trials published

Patients hospitalized with community aquired pneumonia will have their corrected QT measured daily during antibiotic therapy. Concomittant medications and electrolyte abnormalities that cause prolonged QT will be recorded

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

148

Conditions

Pneumonia

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Severe community acquired pneumonia * treated with azithromycin * age over 18 years Exclusion Criteria: * Azithromycin initiated before hospitalization * technically undecipherable ECG * Permanent pacemaker

Locations (1)

HaEmek Medical Center

Afula, Israel

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Corrected QT segment of ECG

Time frame: Daily, at estimated peak antibiotic level, during index hospitalization

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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