Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33387252›Full record

Observational studyCardiovascular toxicology2021

QTc Prolongation in COVID-19 Patients Using Chloroquine.

Matthijs L Becker, Dominic Snijders, Claudia W van Gemeren, Hylke Jan Kingma, Steven F L van Lelyveld, Thijs J Giezen

Open access · bronzeAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Cardiovascular toxicology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 31% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Local Anesthetic Like Inhibition of the Cardiac NaJournal of experimental pharmacology · 2022
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Matthijs L BeckerPharmacy Foundation of Haarlem Hospitals, Boerhaavelaan 24, 2035 RC, Haarlem, The Netherlands. mbecker@sahz.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0054-7498
Dominic SnijdersDepartment of Pulmonary Disease, Spaarne Gasthuis, Spaarnepoort 1, 2134 TM, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands.
Claudia W van GemerenIntensive Care Unit, Spaarne Gasthuis, Spaarnepoort 1, 2134 TM, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands.
Hylke Jan KingmaPharmacy Foundation of Haarlem Hospitals, Boerhaavelaan 24, 2035 RC, Haarlem, The Netherlands.
Steven F L van LelyveldDepartment of Internal Medicine, Spaarne Gasthuis, Spaarnepoort 1, 2134 TM, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands.
Thijs J GiezenPharmacy Foundation of Haarlem Hospitals, Boerhaavelaan 24, 2035 RC, Haarlem, The Netherlands.
Spaarne Ziekenhuis · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chloroquine is used in the treatment of patients with COVID-19 infection, although there is no substantial evidence for a beneficial effect. Chloroquine is known to prolong the QRS and QTc interval on the ECG. To assess the effect of chloroquine on QRS and QTc intervals in COVID-19 patients, we included all inpatients treated with chloroquine for COVID-19 in the Spaarne Gasthuis (Haarlem/Hoofddorp, the Netherlands) and had an ECG performed both in the 72 h before and during or at least 48 h after treatment. We analyzed the (change in) QRS and QTc interval using the one-sample t-test. Of the 106 patients treated with chloroquine, 70 met the inclusion criteria. The average change in QRS interval was 6.0 ms (95% CI 3.3-8.7) and the average change in QTc interval was 32.6 ms (95% CI 24.9-40.2) corrected with the Bazett's formula and 38.1 ms (95% CI 30.4-45.9) corrected with the Fridericia's formula. In 19 of the 70 patients (27%), the QTc interval was above 500 ms after start of chloroquine treatment or the change in QTc interval was more than 60 ms. A heart rate above 90 bpm, renal dysfunction, and a QTc interval below 450 ms were risk factors for QTc interval prolongation. Chloroquine prolongs the QTc interval in a substantial number of patients, potentially causing rhythm disturbances. Since there is no substantial evidence for a beneficial effect of chloroquine, these results discourage its use in COVID-19 patients.

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentAgedChloroquineCohort StudiesCOVID-19ElectrocardiographyFemaleHeart RateHumansLong QT SyndromeMaleMiddle AgedNetherlandsRisk FactorsChloroquineChloroquineCOVID-19Drug-related side effects and adverse reactionsElectrocardiographyLong-QT syndrome/chemically induced

Identifiers

PMID33387252
PMCPMC7778391
OpenAlexW3116466279

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.