LAUSR

Various arrhythmias and electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities can occur in COVID-19 disease, especially in critically ill patients.1-3) Medications including hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, previously used for COVID-19, may prolong QT interval. However, it has been reported that QT prolongation can develop independently in recent research. Rubin et al.4) found that COVID-19 infection had a prolonged corrected QT interval (QTc) in hospitalized patients than those without COVID-19 infection. It is intriguing that 25.0% of patients with COVID-19 who had not received hydroxychloroquine nor azithromycin still had a QTc interval of 500 ms or greater, compared with 10.8% of their COVID-negative peers. In multivariable analysis, factors significantly associated with prolonged QTc in COVID-19 patients were age 80 years and older, severe chronic kidney disease, elevated high-sensitivity troponin, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase.