Abstract
In its March 2000 volume, the Annals of Clinical Psychiatry published my report of four cases of sudden death in developmentally disabled individuals, in all of which thioridazine had been implicated as a contributor. Subsequently this author undertook a monitoring program in which EKGs for all patients taking thioridazine were evaluated. The corrected QT interval was calculated using Bazett's formula and changes in T wave morphology were noted (flattened, notched, or biphasic). EKGs of a group of patients taking risperidone were available for comparison. The average age of the two drug groups was similar in the males, but not in the females. It should be noted that although so-called “non-specific T wave changes” increase with age, the QT interval does not change with age, but does vary with sex. The results are summarized in the following tables: