Cardiac effects of repeated focal seizures in rats induced by intrahippocampal tetanus toxin: Bradyarrhythmias, tachycardias, and prolonged interictal QT interval.

Repeated seizures induce a sustained tachycardia and increase in QT interval of the ECG and evoke arrhythmias including periods of atrioventricular block during Racine type 4 and 5 seizures. These changes in cardiac function may predispose to development in fatal arrhythmias and sudden death in humans with epilepsy.