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- Title
Effects of 4-Aminopyridine on Cardiac Repolarization, PR Interval, and Heart Rate in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury.
- Authors
Isoda, Wakana C.; Segal, Jack L.
- Abstract
This study determines the effects of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) on heart rate and PR, QT, and QTc intervals in patients with longstanding spinal cord injury (SCI). Design. Randomized, active-treatment-controlled, dose level-blinded study, with allocation concealed. Setting: University-affiliated, tertiary care medical center. Patients: Sixty otherwise healthy male and female outpatients with traumatic SCI of more than 1 year's duration. Intervention: Oral administration and dose titration to tolerance of an immediate-release formulation of 4-AP. Measurements and Main Results: The PR interval, heart rate, QT interval, and QTc interval obtained from standard 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) at baseline (before administration of 4-AP) and after I month of treatment were compared. The QTc intervals were derived by using Bazett's formula (equation) incorporated into standard computerized analyses of 12-lead ECG printouts. The paired t lest was performed to test for the significance of differences between means and variances. No statistically significant differences were noted in heart rate or between ECG time intervals measured at baseline and after 1 month of treatment with 4-AP among all patients with SCI or between subgroups stratified by injury level (tetraplegia, paraplegia) or sex. Conclusion: During the 1-month period that 4-AP was administered, the heart rate and PR, QT, and QTc intervals all remained unchanged and stayed well within normal range in comparison to literature-derived control values. 4-Aminopyridine does not appear to influence the length of cardiac time intervals or heart rate and, hence, is unlikely to cause potentially life-threatening ventricular dysrrhythmias when administered long-term and taken orally in dosages of up to 30 ing/day. Specifically, cardiac repolarizalion (QTc interval) is unaffected in patients with SC1 who continuously receive 4-AP for up to 1 month.
- Subjects
AMINOPYRIDINES; PYRIDINE; AMINES; SPINAL cord injuries; ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY; ELECTRIC properties of hearts
- Publication
Pharmacotherapy, 2003, Vol 23, Issue 2, p133
- ISSN
0277-0008
- Publication type
Academic Journal
- DOI
10.1592/phco.23.2.133.32089