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Psychiatric Bulletin (2006) 30: 469. doi: 10.1192/pb.30.12.469-a
© 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Psychiatric Bulletin (2006) 30: 469
© 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Correspondence

Faouzi Alam, Specialist Registrar in General Adult Psychiatry

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, MRI, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, email: docftalam{at}aol.com

Raghupathy Paranthaman, Specialist Registrar in General Adult and Old Age Psychiatry

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust

Patrick Mbaya, Consultant Psychiatrist

Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester

It is well known that psychotropic drugs can have important effects on the cardiovascular system which include changes in blood pressure and effects on the QTc interval (Pacher & Kecskemeti, 2004). The Royal College of Psychiatrists (2006) recommends periodic monitoring by electrocardiography (ECG) during high-dose antipsychotic therapy.

We conducted a postal survey of consultant psychiatrists in the north-west of England to assess the facilities available in the psychiatric clinic for checking blood pressure and the ease of arranging ECG. We also asked whether psychiatrists were confident in interpreting ECG in order to clarify any training requirements. Out of 260 consultants, 132 returned the questionnaire (response rate 50.7%). A majority (59%) felt that it was difficult to arrange ECG in the clinic and worryingly an even higher proportion (61%) lacked facilities to check blood pressure. Only a small minority (13%) felt confident about identifying QT prolongation on ECG. Most respondents (82%) felt that doctors working in psychiatry should have regular training in interpreting ECG.

These results demonstrate a lack of facilities in mental health clinics for cardiovascular monitoring and the need for regular training of psychiatrists in the care of the physical health of their patients.

References

PACHER, P. & KECSKEMETI, V. (2004) Cardiovascular side effects of new antidepressants and antipsychotics: new drugs, old concerns? Current Pharmaceutical Design, 10, 2463 –2475.[CrossRef][Medline]

ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRISTS (2006) Consensus Statement on High-Dose Antipsychotic Medication (Council Report CR138). London: Royal College of Psychiatrists.





This Article
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Right arrow Articles by Mbaya, P.

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