Prolonged QT Syndrome

With patients complaining of palpitations, I have made it a habit to check the QT interval. I just wish there was a quick way to do it. Right now, I am using a program called MedMath on my cellphone that seems to do a good job. But I don't know that I would say that that method was quick. I suppose that that I should get an EKG machine that automatically calculated the QT interval.

Anyway, the reason that this tip is helpful is because prolong QT may increase the risk of Torsades. As a resident, I had a young patient who had multiple short runs of VTACH. Her QT ended up being prolonged and we did a cardiology referral.