[Psychotropic agents and pathological ECG changes (author's transl)]

1. An epidemiological research programme was carried out on a collective of 1752 psychotic patients from eight psychiatric hospitals during the period from October 1970 until February 1973. The possible relationships as to the intensity of pathological ECG changes and such factors as sex, age, the administration of tricyclic and non-tricyclic psychotropic agents with or without the combination of glycosides, the potency of neuroleptics and their clinical structure, were investigated. 2. No statistical significance could be established between pathological ECG changes and such factors as administration of tricyclic and non-tricyclic psychotropics with or without the combination of glycosides, or the potency of neuroleptics and their chemical structure. With a higher age the frequency of ECG changes increases independent on psychotropics. 3. The difficulties of interpretation, in particular regarding a generalisation of the results, are discussed.