Acute effects of synthetic cannabinoids on ventricular repolarization parameters

Objective: An association between ventricular repolarization parameters (VRPs) and ventricular arrhythmias has been demonstrated in previous studies. However, there are limited data related to a relationship between synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) and VRPs. The aim of this study was to analyze the acute effects of SCs on VRPs using electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements of the T-peak to T-end interval (Tp-e), Tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/corrected QT (QTc) ratio. Methods: The present study included 58 patients who were admitted to the emergency department who used SCs (SC +) between 2014 and 2016, and 50 healthy control subjects (SC -). The QT and QTc intervals, Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios were measured from a 12-lead ECG. These parameters were compared between groups and correlation analysis was performed. Results: The Tp-e and QTc intervals were significantly higher in SC + patients when compared with the SC- group (92.2+-10.0, 77.4 +-9.3, p