Key result
A 44-year-old female developed symptomatic bradycardia with a normal QTc interval two days after starting azithromycin, which resolved 24 hours after discontinuing the medication.
Why the study?
Azithromycin is known to affect the cardiovascular system, but there is limited literature on its association with bradyarrhythmias.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Azithromycin can induce symptomatic bradycardia even in the absence of QTc prolongation, suggesting the need for careful monitoring in patients with underlying risk factors.
May warrant bradycardia monitoring with azithromycin despite normal QTc; single case leaves broader risk open.
Azithromycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic of the macrolide class and has multiple effects on the cardiovascular system, including prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval. However, there is limited literature on the association between azithromycin and bradyarrhythmias. Monitoring the patient via telemetry can detect bradycardia. The diagnosis of azithromycin-induced bradycardia is usually made by the exclusion of other causes of bradycardia. We report a case of a 44-year-old female with past medical history of obstructive sleep apnea who presented to our hospital due to polysubstance drug overdose with possible aspiration pneumonia. The patient received azithromycin and subsequently developed symptomatic bradycardia two days post-onset of antibiotic treatment. This case raises awareness amongst physicians about the possibility of azithromycin-induced bradycardia and explains the different mechanisms that can cause it.
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Abdelazeem et al. (2021) conducted a case report in Aspiration pneumonia (n=1). Azithromycin was evaluated on Development of symptomatic bradycardia. A 44-year-old female developed symptomatic bradycardia with a normal QTc interval two days after starting azithromycin, which resolved 24 hours after discontinuing the medication.
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