ARRHYTHMIAS ASSOCIATED WITH DRUG TOXICITY

Cardiac arrhythmias may result from poisoning by a variety of agents. Some cardiac disturbances are of limited concern. For example, sinus tachycardia may be due to excessive catecholaminergic agents and usually requires no specific therapy, resolving with only supportive care. Nevertheless, other arrhythmias occur because of the specific cardiac properties of the ingested drugs and require specific antidotes. In these circumstances, the clinician must understand the resultant pathophysiology so that therapy is appropriate. This review focuses on drugs that cause ventricular arrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias. Although many of the drugs that lead to these disturbances are cardiovascular medications, toxicities from other common agents are also discussed.