Electrocardiographic changes in loperamide toxicity: Case report and review of literature.

INTRODUCTION: Loperamide, an antidiarrheal agent, is a µ-opioid receptor agonist increasingly abused to prevent opioid withdrawal or to produce euphoric effects. At supra-therapeutic doses, loperamide can cause cardiac toxicity due to blockade of Na and IKr channels, resulting in wide QRS rhythms, severe bradycardia, prolonged QTc, polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, cardiac arrest, and death. There are limited data on the cardiotoxic effects of high dose loperamide. METHODS AND RESULTS: A case report of loperamide toxicity is presented and then added to a contemporary review of the literature. In total, the presentation and management of 36 cases of loperamide cardiotoxicity are summarized. The overall median daily dose (interquartile range) of loperamide was 200 (134-400) mg. The median QRS duration was 160 (125-170) ms. The median QTc duration was 620 (565-701) ms. Ventricular tachycardia was experienced by 24/36 (67%) of patients, 20 of which were specified to be polymorphic. Treatment was supportive, providing advanced cardiopulmonary life support and aggressive electrolyte repletion. Isoproterenol infusion or overdrive pacing was employed in 19/36 (53%) of cases. The median time to electrocardiogram normalization or hospital discharge, whichever came first, was 5 (3.5-10) days. CONCLUSION: Loperamide overdose is a toxidrome that remains underrecognized, and in patients with unexplained cardiac arrhythmias, loperamide toxicity should be suspected. Prompt recognition is critical due to the delayed recovery and high risk for life-threatening arrhythmias.

Intermediate-term performance and safety of His-bundle pacing leads: A single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: The short-term safety, feasibility, and performance of His-bundle pacing (HBP) leads have been reported; however, their longer-term performance beyond 1 year remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the intermediate-term performance and safety of HBP. METHODS: All HBP lead implants at Virginia Commonwealth University between January 2014 and January 2019 were analyzed. HBP was performed using a Medtronic SelectSecure 3830-69 cm pacing lead. RESULTS: Of 295 attempts, successful HBP implantation (selective or nonselective) was seen in 274 cases (93%). Mean follow-up duration was 22.8 ± 19.5 months (median 19.5; interquartile range 11-33). Mean age was 69 ± 15 years; 58% were males; and ejection fraction <50% was noted in 30%. Indications for pacemaker included sick sinus syndrome in 41%, atrioventricular block in 36%, cardiac resynchronization therapy in 7%, and refractory atrial fibrillation in 15%. Selective HBP was achieved in 33%. Mean HBP capture threshold at implant was 1.1 ± 0.9 V at 0.8 ± 0.2 ms, which significantly increased at chronic follow-up to 1.7 ± 1.1 V at 0.8 ± 0.3 ms (P <.001). Threshold was ≥2.5 V in 24% of patients, and 28% had an increase in HBP threshold ≥1 V. Loss of His-bundle capture at follow-up (septal right ventricular pacing) was seen in 17%. There was a total of 31 (11%) lead revisions, primarily for unacceptably high thresholds. CONCLUSION: Although HBP can prevent or improve pacing-induced cardiomyopathy, the elevated capture thresholds, loss of His-bundle capture, and lead revision rates at intermediate follow-up are of concern. Longer-term follow-up data from multiple centers are needed.

The mode of pretransplant dialysis does not affect postrenal transplant outcomes in african americans.

Background. In previous reports with a majority of Caucasian patients, peritoneal dialysis (PD) before kidney transplantation has been associated with poor outcomes and higher rates of graft thrombosis and infectious complications than hemodialysis (HD). We report our experience on the outcomes of prerenal transplant peritoneal dialysis in predominantly (73%) African American patient population. Methods. A retrospective data analysis of 401 kidney transplants performed at our center from 2000 to 2006 was performed. Adult recipients with at least three months of pretransplant HD or PD were included. Results. There were 339 patients on HD and 62 patients on PD. There was no difference in graft (P = 0.51) and patient survival (P = 0.52) at 1, 3, and 5-years. Patients on HD were more likely to experience delayed graft function than PD (38.8% versus 17.7%, P < 0.005). There was no difference in the incidence of vascular thrombosis or posttransplant infectious complications. When only the African American patients in the two groups were compared, there were no differences in graft or patient survival. Conclusions. Pretransplant peritoneal dialysis is associated with excellent patient and renal allograft outcomes in African Americans and does not predispose them to an increased risk of infectious or thrombotic complications.