Bradicardia inducida por quimioterapia en pacientes oncológicos

Abstract

IntroductionThere are daily reports of the toxic effects of chemotherapy on the heart, among them are the arrhythmias. However, there are very few publications on bradycardia caused by anti-neoplastic treatment. ObjectiveTo describe and analyse the presence of post-chemotherapy bradycardia in the oncology patient. Materials and methodsA non-experimental, descriptive and retrospective study was conducted on patients seen during the year 2017 in a Cardiology Department due to post-chemotherapy bradycardia. ResultsA total of 59 patients were evaluated, of whom 31 (52.5%) were males and 28 (47.5%) women, and with a median age of 42 years. The median heart rate was 46 beats per minute. The bradycardia was more common in acute myelocytic leukaemia (25.42%), followed by acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (20.34%). It was asymptomatic in 88.31% of cases. The chemotherapy drugs associated with bradycardia in acute myelocytic leukaemia were cytarabine in combination with daunorubicin, whilst in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia they were vincristine in combination with daunorubicin. A prolonged QTc interval was present in 12 (20.34%) of cases. The time between the chemotherapy and the onset of bradycardia was 24 to 48hours in 35.6%, and the recovery of the heart rate was between 24 and 48hours in 61.02%. ConclusionsSinus bradycardia as an adverse effect of chemotherapy is more frequent in acute myelocytic leukaemia, whilst the most common anti-neoplastic drugs associated with bradycardia were cytarabine and daunorubicin.