Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26903359›Full record

ArticleCMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne2016

Macrolide antibiotics and the risk of ventricular arrhythmia in older adults.

Mai H Trac, Eric McArthur, Racquel Jandoc, Stephanie N Dixon, Danielle M Nash, Daniel G Hackam, Amit X Garg

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 62 papers, 26 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
62citing papers in PubMed, 26 pooled it
60.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

62 citing papers in PubMed, 26 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 149 citations in OpenAlex.

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  9. The complex interaction of genetics and delirium: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2021
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2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Mai H TracDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Trac, Garg), Western University; Lawson Health Research Institute (Trac), London Health Sciences Centre; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Western (McArthur, Jandoc, Dixon, Nash, Garg); Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology (Hackam) and Nephrology (Garg), Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Ont.
Eric McArthurDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Trac, Garg), Western University; Lawson Health Research Institute (Trac), London Health Sciences Centre; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Western (McArthur, Jandoc, Dixon, Nash, Garg); Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology (Hackam) and Nephrology (Garg), Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Ont.
Racquel JandocDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Trac, Garg), Western University; Lawson Health Research Institute (Trac), London Health Sciences Centre; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Western (McArthur, Jandoc, Dixon, Nash, Garg); Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology (Hackam) and Nephrology (Garg), Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Ont.
Stephanie N DixonDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Trac, Garg), Western University; Lawson Health Research Institute (Trac), London Health Sciences Centre; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Western (McArthur, Jandoc, Dixon, Nash, Garg); Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology (Hackam) and Nephrology (Garg), Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Ont.
Danielle M NashDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Trac, Garg), Western University; Lawson Health Research Institute (Trac), London Health Sciences Centre; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Western (McArthur, Jandoc, Dixon, Nash, Garg); Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology (Hackam) and Nephrology (Garg), Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Ont.
Daniel G HackamDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Trac, Garg), Western University; Lawson Health Research Institute (Trac), London Health Sciences Centre; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Western (McArthur, Jandoc, Dixon, Nash, Garg); Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology (Hackam) and Nephrology (Garg), Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Ont.
Amit X GargDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Trac, Garg), Western University; Lawson Health Research Institute (Trac), London Health Sciences Centre; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Western (McArthur, Jandoc, Dixon, Nash, Garg); Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology (Hackam) and Nephrology (Garg), Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Ont. amit.garg@lhsc.on.ca.
Lawson Health Research Institute · CAInstitute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences · CALondon Health Sciences Centre · CAWestern University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMany respiratory tract infections are treated with macrolide antibiotics. Regulatory agencies warn that these antibiotics increase the risk of ventricular arrhythmia. We examined the 30-day risk of ventricular arrhythmia and all-cause mortality associated with macrolide antibiotics relative to nonmacrolide antibiotics.

methodsWe conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study involving older adults (age > 65 yr) with a new prescription for an oral macrolide antibiotic (azithromycin, clarithromycin or erythromycin) in Ontario from 2002 to 2013. Our primary outcome was a hospital encounter with ventricular arrhythmia within 30 days after a new prescription. Our secondary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality. We matched patients 1:1 using propensity scores to patients prescribed nonmacrolide antibiotics (amoxicillin, cefuroxime or levofloxacin). We used conditional logistic regression to measure the association between macrolide exposure and outcomes, and repeated the analysis in 4 subgroups defined by the presence or absence of chronic kidney disease, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease and concurrent use of a drug known to prolong the QT interval.

resultsCompared with nonmacrolide antibiotics, macrolide antibiotics were not associated with a higher risk of ventricular arrhythmia (0.03% v. 0.03%; relative risk [RR] 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83-1.36) and were associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (0.62% v. 0.76%; RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.78-0.86). These associations were similar in all subgroups.

interpretationAmong older adults, macrolide antibiotics were not associated with a higher 30-day risk of ventricular arrhythmia than nonmacrolide antibiotics. These findings suggest that current warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration may be overstated.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overAnti-Bacterial AgentsArrhythmias, CardiacAzithromycinClarithromycinCohort StudiesErythromycinFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsMacrolidesMaleOntarioPropensity ScoreRetrospective StudiesAnti-Bacterial AgentsAzithromycinClarithromycinErythromycinMacrolides

Identifiers

PMID26903359
PMCPMC4835295
OpenAlexW2279956772

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.