Ventricular Fibrillation in a 5-Year-Old Child on Therapeutic Dose of Quinine Dihydrochloride Infusion for Acute Malaria

Abstract

Malaria is no doubt a disease of public health significance in the tropics. Plasmodium falciparum, resistant to the majority of the first-line antimalarial drugs, now causes most of the infections treated in sub-Saharan Africa. Although there is increasing use of artemisinin-based combination therapy in many African nations, quinine still remains a commonly used drug for severe and chloroquine-resistant malaria. Cardiotoxicity associated with quinine has been largely reported. However, this was often more common with toxic doses. This case report is on a 5-year-old African Nigerian who was undergoing treatment for uncomplicated malaria with quinine dihydrochloride infusion. All the laboratory investigations done were within normal limits except for positive blood films for malarial parasites. However, pretreatment electrocardiographic evaluation of the patient was not carried out. She developed ventricular fibrillation and died < 1.5 hours into the quinine infusion.