Continuous high-dose intravenous desferrioxamine treatment for iron overload.
We describe a patient with heavy posttransfusion iron overload, to whom continuous high-dose i.v. desferrioxamine was administered shortly before his death. The administration of nearly 500 g of this agent was followed by urinary excretion of 5.4 g of iron. The chelator therapy lost its efficiency in the last of five courses and the patient eventually died as a result of cardiac and hepatic damage related to iron overload. The theoretical and practical implications of these observations are discussed.
D000368:Aged; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000628:therapy; D003676:Deferoxamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion; D006486:Hemosiderosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010179:Pancreas / Q000473:pathology; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D003676:Deferoxamine