INCIDENCE OF QT INTERVAL PROLONGATION DURING PENTAMIDINE THERAPY OF PNEUMOCYSTIS-CARINII PNEUMONIA

Pentamidine isethionate, a first-line drug for the therapy of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, has been linked with QT interval prolongation and ventricular tachyarrhythmias in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome,1-6 but strategies for preventing, detecting and treating pentamidine-associated QT prolongation require a better understanding of its rate of occurrence and its complications. To estimate the incidence of QT prolongation during pentamidine therapy and the incidence of serious cardiac arrhythmias among patients with QT prolongation, and to identify patients at risk for QT prolongation, we reviewed all patients treated with intravenous pentamidine at our institution over a 6-month period. © 1991.