• Jennifer Carron, Zain Sharif, Hafiz Hussein, Mark Kennedy, Brendan McAdam, and Richard Sheahan.
• Department of Cardiology, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. jennifercarron@rcsi.ie.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2021 Feb 1; 190 (1): 403409403-409.

AbstractThe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), has rapidly spread since December 2019 to become the focus of healthcare systems worldwide. Its highly contagious nature and significant mortality has led to its prioritization as a public health issue. The race to prevent and treat this disease has led to "off-label" prescribing of medications such as hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir). Currently, there is no robust clinical evidence for the use of these drugs in the treatment of COVID-19, with most, if not all of these medications associated with the potential for QT interval prolongation, torsades de pointes, and resultant drug-induced sudden cardiac death. The aim of this document is to help healthcare providers mitigate the potential deleterious effects of drug-induced QTc prolongation.

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