The prestigious, peer-reviewed New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a research study suggesting that Zithromax use could lead to heart attacks.

Zithromax, a formulation of azithromycin, is a macrolide antibiotic. This class of antibiotics traces its origins to erythromycin, which was developed from a compound produced by soil bacteria discovered in the Philippines.

Based on this natural compound, scientists were able to formulate powerful antibiotics that could treat a wide variety of bacterial infections. However, some macrolides were discovered to cause serious heart side effects. Since Zithromax was synthesized from scratch, unlike earlier macrolides, it was believed that Zithromax was safer. But the 2012 study strongly suggests that Zithromax side effects could include Zithromax heart complications.

In the Zithromax study, researchers at Vanderbilt University used data from 540,000 Tennessee Medicaid patients. The Medicaid records included data from 1992 to 2006.

The records also included detailed records of antibiotic use, including Zithromax, and cardiovascular events like heart attacks. The Zithromax study found that patients with a history of heart problems who took Zithromax had an increased risk of heart attacks.

While the overall risk was low, the results were strong enough to advise physicians to avoid prescribing Zithromax for patients with a history of cardiovascular events.

The study’s authors suggest a mechanism for their observations. Researchers suggest that Zithromax can promote a prolongation of the Q-T interval, a type of abnormal heart beat.

This disruption of the heartbeat could potentially lead to a situation when the two main pumps of the heart fall out of synch and try to pump at the same time, hydraulically locking the heart. The medical profession calls this a “widowmaker” heart attack, as the survival rate is very low and it is very difficult to get the heart beating again in this situation.

A Zithromax heart attack lawsuit investigation has been launched to explore the possibility of legal action against the makers of Zithromax. Such a lawsuit could allege that the makers of Zithromax were aware — or reasonably should have been aware — of the serious risk of heart attack and other potential Zithromax complications.

Such a Zithromax lawsuit could further allege that drug makers continued to aggressively promote the drug, seeking to make a profit despite the risks. Such a Zithromax lawsuit could seek to recoup the cost of medical care, lost wages, legal fees and other costs allegedly linked to Zithromax heart problems.