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Related Concept Videos

Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy01:26

Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy

Antipsychotic drugs are a crucial treatment method for acute and chronic psychoses, bipolar illness, and behavioral disorders. The selection of these drugs depends on several factors, including the state of the disease, clinical judgment, possible drug interactions, and the patient's sensitivity to adverse effects. In immediate scenarios, such as delirium and dementia, short-term treatment with low doses of high-potency typical or atypical agents can effectively manage symptom exacerbation. For...
Antiarrhythmic Drugs: Class III Agents as Potassium Channel Blockers01:12

Antiarrhythmic Drugs: Class III Agents as Potassium Channel Blockers

Class III antiarrhythmic drugs are a group of medications that can prolong action potentials in the heart. They achieve this by blocking potassium channels or enhancing inward currents from sodium channels. However, these drugs have a unique property of "reverse use-dependence," which is most pronounced at slower heart rates and can lead to torsades de pointes—a specific type of arrhythmia. However, it is essential to note that excessive QT interval prolongation—a measure of the heart's...
Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview01:28

Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview

The term "psychosis" refers to a spectrum of mental disorders characterized by abnormal thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. It can manifest as mood disorders, dementia, delirium with psychotic features, substance-induced psychosis with psychotic features, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. Among all these disorders, schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder, affecting 1% of the worldwide population. Psychotic symptoms in all...
Antipsychotic Drugs: Typical and Atypical Agents01:21

Antipsychotic Drugs: Typical and Atypical Agents

Antipsychotic drugs are classified into first-generation (typical) drugs including phenothiazines; and second-generation (atypical) drugs. Chlorpromazine hydrochloride (Thorazine), a phenothiazine derivative, broadly impacts the central, autonomic, and endocrine systems. This drug, along with typical agents like haloperidol (Haldol), primarily works by antagonizing D2 receptors, thus reducing dopaminergic neurotransmission. However, typical antipsychotics can cause side effects such as sedation...
Drug Therapy01:28

Drug Therapy

The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications
Antipsychotic Drugs: Therapeutic Uses and Side Effects01:21

Antipsychotic Drugs: Therapeutic Uses and Side Effects

Antipsychotic drugs primarily block dopamine and serotonin receptors and cholinergic, adrenergic, and histaminergic receptors, thereby reducing hallucinations and delusions in conditions like schizophrenia. However, they can trigger unwanted extrapyramidal effects such as dystonias, Parkinson-like symptoms, and tardive dyskinesia.
Despite these side effects, antipsychotics are used therapeutically for various purposes, including managing schizophrenia, preventing nausea and vomiting, curbing...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Methods for ECG Evaluation of Indicators of Cardiac Risk, and Susceptibility to Aconitine-induced Arrhythmias in Rats Following Status Epilepticus
08:28

Methods for ECG Evaluation of Indicators of Cardiac Risk, and Susceptibility to Aconitine-induced Arrhythmias in Rats Following Status Epilepticus

Published on: April 5, 2011

Assessing QT interval prolongation and its associated risks with antipsychotics.

Jimmi Nielsen1, Claus Graff, Jørgen K Kanters

  • 1Unit for Psychiatric Research, Aalborg Psychiatric Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark. jin@rn.dk

CNS Drugs
|June 9, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Antipsychotics can cause Torsade de Pointes (TdP), a dangerous heart rhythm leading to sudden cardiac death (SCD). QT interval prolongation on ECG is a key risk marker, necessitating careful patient monitoring and risk factor management.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Methods for ECG Evaluation of Indicators of Cardiac Risk, and Susceptibility to Aconitine-induced Arrhythmias in Rats Following Status Epilepticus
08:28

Methods for ECG Evaluation of Indicators of Cardiac Risk, and Susceptibility to Aconitine-induced Arrhythmias in Rats Following Status Epilepticus

Published on: April 5, 2011

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Clinical Electrophysiology

Background:

  • Antipsychotics can inhibit cardiac potassium channels, prolonging ventricular repolarization and increasing the risk of Torsade de Pointes (TdP) and sudden cardiac death (SCD).
  • While the incidence of SCD with antipsychotics is known, the precise association with TdP is unclear due to diagnostic challenges.
  • Established SCD risk factors like advanced age, female gender, hypokalemia, and cardiovascular disease are common in patients experiencing antipsychotic-associated TdP and SCD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the association between antipsychotics, QT interval prolongation, Torsade de Pointes (TdP), and sudden cardiac death (SCD).
  • To discuss the utility and limitations of QT interval prolongation as a surrogate marker for TdP risk.
  • To provide guidance on risk assessment and management for patients on antipsychotics with potential cardiac effects.

Main Methods:

  • Review of literature on antipsychotic-induced QT prolongation, TdP, and SCD.
  • Analysis of the diagnostic criteria and limitations for TdP.
  • Evaluation of surrogate markers for TdP risk, focusing on the corrected QT (QTc) interval.

Main Results:

  • QT interval prolongation, a marker of delayed repolarization, is associated with TdP and SCD in patients taking antipsychotics.
  • The corrected QT (QTc) interval is a widely used but imperfect surrogate marker for TdP risk, with Bazett's formula being common but Fridericia's potentially more accurate at higher heart rates.
  • A QTc interval exceeding 500 ms significantly elevates the risk of TdP and SCD, mandating drug discontinuation and electrolyte correction.

Conclusions:

  • Clinicians must assess patients for cardiac risk factors before prescribing antipsychotics known to prolong the QTc interval.
  • Careful ECG monitoring and management of electrolyte disturbances are crucial for patients on antipsychotics.
  • Cardiology consultation is recommended for patients with a history of syncope, presyncope, or arrhythmias, or a family history of sudden cardiac death.