Be cautious with antibiotics to heart patients: IMA to doctors

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has asked doctors to maintain caution while prescribing antibiotics to heart patients as some drugs may increase the risk of cardiac arrest.
A campaign has been launched by the IMA to raise awareness among its 2.5 lakh members on the importance of maintaining caution while prescribing antibiotics.
"There are certain antibiotics which may increase the risk of heart attack in people with underlying heart diseases such as arrhythmias, structural changes to the heart or heart damage from a previous heart attack," said IMA Secretary General Dr K K Aggarwal.
He said prolonged research has indicated that overuse and misuse of antibiotics can cause disease resistance as well as increase one's chances of heart attacks and other life- threatening ailments.

"Given this fact, we are constantly educating all our members on the importance of prescribing antibiotics after carefully weighing the pros and cons and the need for the same. Unless there are compelling reasons to start immediately, it is recommended that doctors wait for test results or to see how symptoms develop," Dr Aggarwal said.
The World Health Organisation recently issued an advisory about the current practice of indiscriminate use of antibiotics increasingly leading to resistance to medicines, persistence of infections and treatment failure.
It said that immediate action is needed to stop the world from heading towards a pre-antibiotic era in which all achievements made in prevention and control of communicable diseases will be reversed.

IMA also warned that quacks, chemists and AYUSH doctors who prescribe antibiotics without understanding them can cause deaths.