Psychiatry

Clozapine

Psychiatric patients that are taking Clozapine can utilize hemodynamic parameters such as contractility (ICON), systolic time ratio (STR), and stroke volume (SV) as early warning signs of cardiac toxicity. The diagnosis of cardiac toxicity is usually made only when severe clinical symptoms occur, and left ventricular function is already depressed.1 By conducting a 3 minute hemodynamic test using the EC monitors, the development of cardiac adverse effects due to medications such as Clozapine can be monitored during patients’ follow-up visits.

[1] Rostagno, C. (2011). Clozapine associated cardiomyopathy: a cluster of 3 cases. Intern Emerg Med , 6:281-283.