This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

I am concerned about the case report by Jackson et al¹ of the patient who was diagnosed as having torsade de pointes while receiving a low dose of haloperidol. There are several statements in the report that I find are not supported by the data presented.

Torsade de pointes is a syndrome and not solely an electrocardiographic pattern. It is seen in patients with abnormal repolarization that is usually but not always manifested by a prolonged QT interval. The classic precipitant of torsade de pointes is a long-short cycle coupling interval that further alters repolarization. Patients with the condition usually present with episodes of loss of consciousness that self-terminate but can occasionally proceed to cardiac arrest. A careful distinction must be made between torsade de pointes and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia secondary to ischemia, since their treatments are completely different.

I believe the diagnosis of torsade de pointes is not supported . . . [Full Text of this Article]

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?