Levofloxacin and Torsades de Pointes

Torsades de pointes associated with a prolonged QT interval is a life-threatening arrhythmia, which may be induced by any of the following: drugs, electrolyte imbalances, severe bradycardia and intracranial hemorrhage.Torsades de pointes is characterized by beat-to-beat variations in the QRS complexes in any ECG leads with rates of 200∼250 per minute.Fluoroquinolones are widely used and well tolerated antibacterial agents.However, prolongation of the QT interval leads rarely to Torsades de pointes as a significant adverse effect.So, it should be used with caution in high-risk patients for developing Torsades de pointes.We report one case of 67-year old man with contact burns who experienced Torsades de pointes, which probably resulted from the use of levofloxacin, and no further episode occurred after its withdrawal.