Albert Liu

and 16 more

Introduction Oral sotalol initiation requires a multiple-day, inpatient admission to monitor for QT prolongation during loading. A one-day intravenous (IV) sotalol loading protocol was approved by the FDA in March 2020, but limited data on clinical use and administration currently exists. This study describes implementation of an IV sotalol protocol within an integrated health system, provides initial efficacy and safety outcomes, and examines length of stay compared to oral sotalol initiation. Methods IV sotalol was administered according to a pre-specified initiation protocol to adult patients with refractory atrial or ventricular arrhythmias. Baseline characteristics, safety and feasibility outcomes, and length of stay (LOS) were compared to patients receiving oral sotalol over a similar time period. Results From January 2021 to June 2022, a total of 29 patients (average age 66.0 ± 8.6 years, 27.6% women) underwent IV sotalol load and 20 patients (average age 60.4 ± 13.9 years, 65.0% women) underwent PO sotalol load. The load was successfully completed in 22/29 (75.9%) patients receiving IV sotalol and 20/20 (100%) of patients receiving oral sotalol, although 7/20 of the oral sotalol patients (35.0%) required dose reduction. Adverse events interrupting IV sotalol infusion included bradycardia (7 patients, 24.1%) and QT prolongation (3 patients, 10.3%). No patients receiving IV or oral sotalol developed sustained ventricular arrhythmias prior to discharge. LOS for patients completing IV load was 2.6 days shorter (mean 1.0 vs 3.6, p < 0.001) compared to LOS with oral load. Conclusion Intravenous sotalol loading has a safety profile that is similar to oral sotalol. It significantly shortens hospital LOS, potentially leading to large cost savings.