Serial electrocardiographic changes as a predictor of cardiovascular toxicity in acute tricyclic antidepressant overdose. 2002

Narpinder Singh, and Harinder K Singh, and Ijaz A Khan
Department of Internal Medicine, Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA.

Tricyclic antidepressant agents continue to be a leading cause of significant morbidity and mortality in reported poisonings involving pharmaceutical agents. Although the history and physical examination play an important role in the assessment of patients with tricyclic antidepressant overdose, the presence of anticholinergic features on examination cannot predict the severity of the overdose. Several clinical variables, in particular electrocardiographic (ECG) changes, have been proposed as a guide to determine the severity of the tricyclic antidepressant poisoning. The authors describe a patient with tricyclic antidepressant overdose who presented with altered mental status and whose serial ECG changes played a significant role in diagnosing and predicting the impending cardiovascular toxicity. The role of ECG changes in making the diagnosis and assessing the severity of the tricyclic antidepressant overdose is reviewed.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D004562 Electrocardiography Recording of the moment-to-moment electromotive forces of the HEART as projected onto various sites on the body's surface, delineated as a scalar function of time. The recording is monitored by a tracing on slow moving chart paper or by observing it on a cardioscope, which is a CATHODE RAY TUBE DISPLAY. 12-Lead ECG,12-Lead EKG,12-Lead Electrocardiography,Cardiography,ECG,EKG,Electrocardiogram,Electrocardiograph,12 Lead ECG,12 Lead EKG,12 Lead Electrocardiography,12-Lead ECGs,12-Lead EKGs,12-Lead Electrocardiographies,Cardiographies,ECG, 12-Lead,EKG, 12-Lead,Electrocardiograms,Electrocardiographies, 12-Lead,Electrocardiographs,Electrocardiography, 12-Lead
D006329 Heart Conduction System An impulse-conducting system composed of modified cardiac muscle, having the power of spontaneous rhythmicity and conduction more highly developed than the rest of the heart. Conduction System, Heart,Conduction Systems, Heart,Heart Conduction Systems,System, Heart Conduction,Systems, Heart Conduction
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000639 Amitriptyline Tricyclic antidepressant with anticholinergic and sedative properties. It appears to prevent the re-uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin at nerve terminals, thus potentiating the action of these neurotransmitters. Amitriptyline also appears to antagonize cholinergic and alpha-1 adrenergic responses to bioactive amines. Amineurin,Amitrip,Amitriptylin Beta,Amitriptylin Desitin,Amitriptylin RPh,Amitriptylin-Neuraxpharm,Amitriptyline Hydrochloride,Amitrol,Anapsique,Apo-Amitriptyline,Damilen,Domical,Elavil,Endep,Laroxyl,Lentizol,Novoprotect,Saroten,Sarotex,Syneudon,Triptafen,Tryptanol,Tryptine,Tryptizol,Amitriptylin Neuraxpharm,Apo Amitriptyline,Desitin, Amitriptylin,RPh, Amitriptylin
D000929 Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic Substances that contain a fused three-ring moiety and are used in the treatment of depression. These drugs block the uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin into axon terminals and may block some subtypes of serotonin, adrenergic, and histamine receptors. However, the mechanism of their antidepressant effects is not clear because the therapeutic effects usually take weeks to develop and may reflect compensatory changes in the central nervous system. Antidepressants, Tricyclic,Tricyclic Antidepressant,Tricyclic Antidepressant Drug,Tricyclic Antidepressive Agent,Tricyclic Antidepressive Agents,Antidepressant Drugs, Tricyclic,Agent, Tricyclic Antidepressive,Agents, Tricyclic Antidepressive,Antidepressant Drug, Tricyclic,Antidepressant, Tricyclic,Antidepressive Agent, Tricyclic,Drug, Tricyclic Antidepressant,Drugs, Tricyclic Antidepressant,Tricyclic Antidepressant Drugs,Tricyclic Antidepressants
D001145 Arrhythmias, Cardiac Any disturbances of the normal rhythmic beating of the heart or MYOCARDIAL CONTRACTION. Cardiac arrhythmias can be classified by the abnormalities in HEART RATE, disorders of electrical impulse generation, or impulse conduction. Arrhythmia,Arrythmia,Cardiac Arrhythmia,Cardiac Arrhythmias,Cardiac Dysrhythmia,Arrhythmia, Cardiac,Dysrhythmia, Cardiac
D001714 Bipolar Disorder A major affective disorder marked by severe mood swings (manic or major depressive episodes) and a tendency to remission and recurrence. Affective Psychosis, Bipolar,Bipolar Disorder Type 1,Bipolar Disorder Type 2,Bipolar Mood Disorder,Depression, Bipolar,Manic Depression,Manic Disorder,Manic-Depressive Psychosis,Psychosis, Manic-Depressive,Type 1 Bipolar Disorder,Type 2 Bipolar Disorder,Psychoses, Manic-Depressive,Bipolar Affective Psychosis,Bipolar Depression,Bipolar Disorders,Bipolar Mood Disorders,Depression, Manic,Depressions, Manic,Disorder, Bipolar,Disorder, Bipolar Mood,Disorder, Manic,Manic Depressive Psychosis,Manic Disorders,Mood Disorder, Bipolar,Psychoses, Bipolar Affective,Psychoses, Manic Depressive,Psychosis, Bipolar Affective,Psychosis, Manic Depressive
D062787 Drug Overdose Accidental or deliberate use of a medication or street drug in excess of normal dosage. Drug Overdoses,Overdose, Drug,Overdoses, Drug

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