Ceftriaxone and Lansoprazole Combo linked to Increased Adverse Cardiac Events: JAMA

In a recent study, the combination of ceftriaxone, an antibiotic, and lansoprazole, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), has been found to have concerning effects on cardiac health. While it's known to prolong the corrected QT interval on electrocardiograms, the study published in Journal of American Medical Association delves into whether this translates into clinically significant patient outcomes.

Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study spanning from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2021, involving adult medical inpatients in 13 hospitals in Ontario, Canada, who were administered ceftriaxone along with either lansoprazole or another PPI. The primary objective was to compare the risk of ventricular arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, and in-hospital mortality between these two groups.

Of the 31,152 patients who received ceftriaxone in conjunction with a PPI, the study revealed that ventricular arrhythmia or cardiac arrest was more prevalent in those administered lansoprazole. Within the lansoprazole group, 3.4% of patients experienced these adverse cardiac events compared to 1.2% in the group taking other PPIs. Additionally, in-hospital mortality was notably higher in the lansoprazole group, with 19.9% of patients succumbing to it, as opposed to 10.1% in the group using other PPIs.