Linezolid-induced bradycardia: a case report

We report an episode of severe bradycardia that occurred in a 49-year-old woman with fever and malignant jaundice during antibiotic therapy with linezolid, a new oxazolidinone with activity against Gram-positive cocci. In our case, the strict temporal dependence between bradycardia and linezolid therapy seems to provide strong evidence for a causal relationship. To our knowledge, this is the first report of linezolid-induced bradycardia. This adverse event confirms that the new antibiotic linezolid should be administered with caution in patient with jaundice and hepatic insufficiency. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.