Torsade de pointes
Description
Torsade de pointes is a type of heart rhythm disturbance. The lower chambers of the heart beat very fast (150-300 beats/min), while the normal rate is up to 100 beats/min. Usually, it stops spontaneously but in some cases, it may lead to ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest.
Symptoms
Nearly 50% of patients with torsade de pointes don’t have any symptoms. Symptoms may be:
- Palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Fainting or near-fainting
- Hypotension
- Sudden cardiac arrest
Visit a Cardiologist for proper diagnosis and treatment if you have any of these symptoms
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View MoreCauses
Being born with congenital heart disease due to specific genetic mutations (Long QT syndrome).
Certain medications such as:
Antiarrhythmic
Antibiotics
Antifungals
Antihistamines
Anticancer agents
Antidepressants
Antiemetics
Diuretics
Risk factors:
Old age (>65 years)
Female gender
History of heart attack
Hypokalemia
Hypocalcemia
Hypomagnesemia
Having a slow heart rate
Diagnostics
Electrocardiogram (a simple test to examine the rhythm and electrical activity of the heart using skin-attached sensors to detect the electrical signals produced by the heart during each beat).
Treatment
The cause should be treated first such as correcting hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, or hypocalcemia and stopping the offending drug if exists.
Treatment options:
- Medications: Intravenous medications Magnesium sulfate is the main used medication however Isoproterenol may be needed in some cases.
- Cardioversion: A procedure in which patches on the chest are used to give the heart an electric shock to restore normal heartbeat rhythm.
- Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator: A small device implanted under the skin to give an electric shock to return to the normal rhythm of heartbeats if the heart rhythm was disturbed.
- Cardiac pacemaker: A small device implanted in the chest to control the heartbeats.
