| Antipsychotic drugs: sudden cardiac death among elderly patients. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 21103142 Owner: NLM Status: In-Data-Review |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Sudden cardiac death has become a significant clinical concern when prescribing antipsychotic drugs, especially to older people with dementia. Sudden death syndrome has been known for decades to occur in association with taking first-generation antipsychotic medications, but it has become more prominent recently due to safety reviews about the use of second-generation antipsychotic medications. In 2005, the United States Food and Drug Administration disseminated information about cardiac fatalities, which led to black box warnings in second-generation, antipsychotic, drug-prescribing literature about higher mortality when administering to elderly persons with dementia-related psychoses. In this population, treatment results in death rates of 4.5 percent, as compared to 2.6 percent in subjects taking a placebo. Actually, patients treated with both the first- and second-generation versions experienced an increased incidence of fatalities. Before utilizing these agents, a careful workup must be completed. The presence of a psychosis or mania should be the only conventional indication for prescribing first- and second-generation antipsychotic medications. Physicians should always evaluate patients for comorbid conditions, especially heart disease and metabolic abnormalities, and all currently used medications to assure a risk-to-benefit ratio favoring the application of an antipsychotic medication. An electrocardiogram is a part of the evaluation of the cardiac status and determines the base line QT interval. While prescribing these medications in elderly patients, physicians must provide individualized clinical, electrocardiographic, and pharmaceutical monitoring. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Puneet Narang; Mostafa El-Refai; Roop Parlapalli; Lilia Danilov; Sainath Manda; Gagandeep Kaur; Steven Lippmann |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Psychiatry (Edgmont (Pa. : Township)) Volume: 7 ISSN: 1555-5194 ISO Abbreviation: Psychiatry (Edgmont) Publication Date: 2010 Oct |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2010-11-24 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 101484252 Medline TA: Psychiatry (Edgmont) Country: United States |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 25-9 Citation Subset: - |
Affiliation:
|
Dr. Narang is from Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Drs. El-Refai, Parlapalli, Danilov, Manda, Kaur, and Lippmann are from University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky. |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
|
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Play therapy: considerations and applications for the practitioner.
Next Document: Prisoners v. Prisons: A History of Correctional Mental Health Rights.