Circulatory collapse caused by unnoticed hypermagnesemia in a hospitalized patient.
We report a case of hypermagnesemia in a hospitalized patient after prolonged laxative use; due to preexisting impaired consciousness and digestive problems, the hypermagnesemia was difficult to detect until it almost became fatal. A 64-year-old man who was a patient at another hospital for treatment of head injury and gastric ulcer had developed circulatory collapse and was transferred to our hospital. Hypermagnesemia (serum magnesium concentration 11.0 mg.dl(-1)) was thought to be the cause of the circulatory collapse and treatments were successful. A magnesium laxative had been administered for more than a month at the previous hospital, but the patient's serum magnesium level was never measured. Care should be taken when a magnesium laxative is administered to patients who already have impaired consciousness and digestive problems that are early symptoms of hypermagnesemia.
So
MinHye
M
Department of Anesthesiology and Medical Crisis Management, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan.
Ito
Hiroaki
H
Sobue
Kazuya
K
Tsuda
Takako
T
Katsuya
Hirotada
H
D002400:Cathartics / Q000009:adverse effects; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012769:Shock / Q000209:etiology*; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis
D002400:Cathartics; D008274:Magnesium