Publications

Authors:

Santin, Laura; Verlato, Giuseppe; Tfaily, Ahmad; Manera, Roberto; Zinfollino, Giuseppe; Fusina, Francesca; Lugoboni, Fabio

Title:

Methadone Maintenance and QT-Interval: Prevalence and Risk Factors-Is It Effective to Switch Therapy to Levomethadone?

Year:

2023

Type of item:

Articolo in Rivista

Tipologia ANVUR:

Articolo su rivista

Language:

Inglese

Format:

Elettronico

Referee:

No

Name of journal:

BIOMEDICINES

ISSN of journal:

2227-9059

N° Volume:

11

Number or Folder:

8

Page numbers:

1-13

Keyword:

QTc; heroin; levomethadone; methadone; prolongation; therapy-switch; treatment

Short description of contents:

: Methadone is a chiral synthetic opioid primarily used to treat heroin and prescription-opioid addiction: the (R)-enantiomer (Levomethadone) activates the µ-opioid receptor more potently than the (S)-enantiomer, which is a more potent blocker of the hERG potassium channels, resulting in QTc prolongation. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the effect of methadone on the QTc interval and to investigate the benefits of Levomethadone. The electrocardiograms of 165 patients taking methadone at various dosages and for different periods of time were examined: the QTc value was manually measured and then adjusted using Bazett's formula. Data analysis revealed a linear association between the dosage of methadone and QTc length; no correlation was found between the QTc value and gender, age, or duration of therapy. In total, 14% of the sample (23 patients) showed a prolongation of the QTc interval (>470 ms in males and >480 ms in females); 10 of the 23 patients with QTc elongation underwent a change of therapy from Methadone to Levomethadone-in 90% of these patients, a normalization in the QTc length was established. This study confirmed the role of methadone, specifically its dosage, in QTc prolongation and the efficiency of Levomethadone as an adequate therapeutic substitute in these circumstances. This study validates the importance of careful electrocardiographic monitoring in methadone-treated patients.

Product ID:

135036

Handle IRIS:

11562/1102907

Last Modified:

September 23, 2023

Bibliographic citation:

Santin, Laura; Verlato, Giuseppe; Tfaily, Ahmad; Manera, Roberto; Zinfollino, Giuseppe; Fusina, Francesca; Lugoboni, Fabio, Methadone Maintenance and QT-Interval: Prevalence and Risk Factors-Is It Effective to Switch Therapy to Levomethadone? «BIOMEDICINES» , vol. 11 , n. 8 , 2023 , pp. 1-13

Consulta la scheda completa presente nel repository istituzionale della Ricerca di Ateneo