QTc interval in children with chronic renal failure and with renal transplants

Prolongation of the QTc interval, a risk factor for cardiac arrhythmias, has been observed in adult hemodialysis patients; there are few data on the QTc interval in children with chronic renal failure (CRF) and following renal transplantation (Tx). The purpose of our study was to determine the QTc interval in children with CRF and post renal Tx. Twenty children with CRF and 16 children with renal Tx who were followed at the University of California, Davis, underwent prospective EKG monitoring. The mean QTc interval in the CRF and post-Tx cohorts was normal at 407.9 ms and 408.2 ms, respectively. None of the children with CRF had QTc prolongation. Two Tx recipients had QTc prolongation; both had cardiac dilatation on echocardiography (ECHO). There was no correlation between the QTc interval and the creatinine clearance in either group. However, a significant correlation was noted between QTc prolongation and cardiac dilatation on ECHO in the Tx group (P=0.02, Fisher's exact test). In conclusion, QTc prolongation is uncommon in children with CRF and following Tx, in the absence of cardiac dilatation. However, caution is still needed before prescribing medications known to cause QTc prolongation.