title: Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis and intravenous propranolol in the emergency setting.
abstract: A 27-year-old male of Malaysian descent presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with rapidly progressive flaccid paralysis that quickly compromised his respiratory effort. The patient was found to have a serum potassium of 1.9 meq/L, and was diagnosed as having an acute paralytic episode secondary to thyrotoxic periodic paralysis. The paralytic attack was aborted with a combination of potassium replacement and parenteral propranolol in large doses. We report the use of a rarely described, yet possibly more effective, therapy for an acute attack of thyrotoxic periodic paralysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, New York 11215, USA.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Birkhahn
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Gaeta
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Melniker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D007008:Hypokalemia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D009123:Muscle Hypotonia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D010243:Paralysis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D011188:Potassium / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011433:Propranolol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013971:Thyrotoxicosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D011433:Propranolol; D011188:Potassium