Medical groups urge caution when using hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin to treat COVID-19 patients with CVD
Healthcare providers should use caution when considering the treatment of COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin if the patients have cardiovascular disease, according to a new guidance from three medical societies.
The American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology (ACC) and Heart Rhythm Society all signed off on the guidance; it was published in full in Circulation, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Heart Rhythm Journal.
Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin have been repeatedly pushed as safe COVID-19 treatment options, with President Trump promoting their use and downplaying any potential side effects while addressing the media. The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus, a move met with considerable criticism from medical professionals throughout the United States.
The guidance notes that both medications are associated with “serious implications” for patients with cardiovascular disease. Potential complications for such patients include “severe electrical irregularities in the heart such as arrythmia (irregular heartbeat), polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (including Torsade de Pointes) and long QT syndrome, and increased risk of sudden death.”
“The urgency of COVID-19 must not diminish the scientific rigor with which we approach COVID-19 treatment,” AHA President Robert A. Harrington, MD, chair of the department of medicine at Stanford University, said in a statement. “While these medications may work against COVID-19 individually or in combination, we recommend caution with these medications for patients with existing cardiovascular disease.”
“We are united in our mission to achieve optimal, quality care for our patients, and we must continue to be vigilant in assessing the potential complications of all medications during this crisis,“ ACC President Athena Poppas, MD, professor of medicine at Brown University and chief of cardiology and director of the Lifespan Cardiovascular Institute at Rhode Island, the Miriam and Newport hospitals, said in the same statement.
The guidance is available here here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.