ArticleBritish journal of clinical pharmacology2009
Sudden death in patients receiving drugs tending to prolong the QT interval.
Article in British journal of clinical pharmacology, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 64 citations in OpenAlex.
- Antidepressant use and the risk of atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
- Antidepressants and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death: A Network Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Domperidone and Risk of Ventricular Arrhythmia and Cardiac Death: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Clinical drug investigation · 2016Pooled it
- Presence or Absence of QTc Prolongation in Buprenorphine-Naloxone Among Youth With Opioid Dependence.Journal of addiction medicineTrial
- Association of pharmacotherapy with all-cause mortality among patients with irritable bowel syndrome.Communications medicine · 2026Article
- Assessing the Risk of QT Prolongation in a Psychiatric Inpatient Cohort: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The cardiovascular safety of tricyclic antidepressants in overdose and in clinical use.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2024Review
- Drug-induced Sudden Death: A Scoping Review.Current drug safety · 2023Article
- Prevalence and Factors Associated with Potential Drug-Drug Interactions in Older Community-Dwelling Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study.Drugs & aging · 2021Article
- Haloperidol and sudden death in first acute myocardial infarction.International journal of cardiology. Heart & vasculature · 2020Article
- Effects of antidepressants on QT interval in people with mental disorders.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2020Review
- A meta-analysis on the cardiac safety profile of domperidone compared to metoclopramide.United European gastroenterology journal · 2018Article
- Increased risk of all-cause mortality associated with domperidone use in Parkinson's patients: a population-based cohort study in the UK.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2018Article
- Evaluating the risk of QTc prolongation associated with antidepressant use in older adults: a review of the evidence.Therapeutic advances in drug safety · 2018Review
- Antidepressants and the risk of arrhythmia in elderly affected by a previous cardiovascular disease: a real-life investigation from Italy.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2018Article
- Cardiovascular Disease in Clozapine-Treated Patients: Evidence, Mechanisms and Management.CNS drugs · 2017Review
- Adverse Effects of Domperidone: Prolonged QuesT for Knowledge?Digestive diseases and sciences · 2016Article
- Ventricular tachyarrhythmia and sudden cardiac death with domperidone use in Parkinson's disease.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2016Article
- Antidepressants and antipsychotics classified with torsades de pointes arrhythmia risk and mortality in older adults - a Swedish nationwide study.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
aimsTo examine risks of sudden death in the community associated with drugs grouped by their risk of causing torsades de pointes (TdP) and to explore the risks for individual drugs.
methodsCase-control study comparing prior drug intakes and morbidities, using the Arizona classification of drugs causing TdP. Participants included 1010 patients dying suddenly where post-mortem examination did not identify a clear cause of death, and 3030 matched living controls from primary care.
resultsNoncardiac drug risk was posed by antipsychotics and antidepressants. Significantly raised odds ratios (ORs) were found for takers of typical and atypical antipsychotics, ORs [95% confidence interval] 3.94 (2.05, 7.55) and 4.36 (2.54, 7.51), and of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs] rather than tricyclic antidepressants, ORs 2.21 (1.61, 3.05) and 1.44 (0.96, 2.13). No significant risk was associated with other, noncardiac or psychiatric drugs, OR 1.09 (0.85, 1.41). Arizona classified drugs considered to raise risk of TdP were associated with raised risk of sudden death, as were those only weakly associated with TdP and not considered to pose a risk in normal use, ORs 2.08 (1.45, 3.00) and 1.74 (1.33, 2.28), respectively.
conclusionsAtypical and typical antipsychotic drug use were both strongly associated with raised risks, as were SSRIs. Tricyclic antidepressants were not associated with raised risks. The Arizona classification of risk of TdP was a poor predictor of likelihood of noncardiac drug-associated sudden death.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.