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The effect of antenatal selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor exposure on the corrected QT interval of neonates

Journal of Perinatology volume 41, pages 1515–1518 (2021)Cite this article

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Depressive symptoms affect 15–20% of pregnant women worldwide [1]. Treatment options include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Studies have found an association between antenatal SSRI use and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn [2], prematurity [3], and congenital abnormalities such as cardiac defects [4]. SSRIs have also been shown to prolong the adult [5] corrected QT (QTc) interval, but its effect on the neonatal QTc is still uncertain.

A UK based prospective case-controlled study was conducted between February 2016 and August 2017 and compared a small sample of healthy neonates with exposure to SSRIs in pregnancy, with neonates who had none, to assess the impact on their QTc. Control group participants were neonates who had a theoretical risk of sepsis but were subsequently found to be healthy. As there is known variability of the QT interval in the preterm neonate [6] and in the first few days of life [6, 7], study participants had to be 37 weeks gestation or greater when recruited to the study and the ECG was not done until the neonates were 48–72 h old.

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Fig. 1: Summary of the recruitment process.
Fig. 2: Flow chart of study screening.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to Dr Elizabeth Cluett (retired) and Dr Helen Rushforth, University of Southampton, UK; Dr Michael Hall (retired), Southampton University Hospital, UK, for their doctoral support of this study. Thank you also to Dr Sean Ewings (University of Southampton, UK) for the statistical support for this study.

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  1. University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, St Mary’s Maternity Unit, Poole, UK

    Marie Lindsay-Sutherland

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  1. Marie Lindsay-Sutherland
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Correspondence to Marie Lindsay-Sutherland.

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Lindsay-Sutherland, M. The effect of antenatal selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor exposure on the corrected QT interval of neonates. J Perinatol 41, 1515–1518 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01057-y

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