There is significant controversy about the potential deleterious effect of
methadone on cardiac conduction. Although several reports suggest that patients
receiving methadone are at increased risk for QTc prolongation and torsade de
pointes, a potentially fatal arrhythmia, others have not replicated these findings.
Hence, it is not surprising that there is no consensus on when to perform an
electrocardiogram, a simple test to assess the QTc interval, during methadone
therapy. Most of the uncertainty is generated by the lack of large controlled
studies. This review presents the current data on this issue in an effort to
support decision-making until more conclusive data become available. Cruciani
RA. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2008 Apr 25.
PMID: 18440771
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed
Credit: PubMed, developed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information
(NCBI) at the
National Library of Medicine (NLM).
BACK |