title: Lithium overdose: early hemodialysis is the key!
abstract: A 65-year-old gentleman was referred to our hospital with encephalopathy and renal failure. His medications included lithium for the treatment of bipolar disorder. The clinical examination and the laboratory investigations that followed revealed findings classical of lithium overdose. The patient was successfully managed and discharged from the hospital on Day 9 of admission. Clinicians should be aware of this rather unusual and relatively rare differential cause of acute on chronic renal failure with encephalopathy.
authors.forename: Sachin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goel
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Prashant
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nasa
authors.forename: Ankur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Rajiva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Saurabh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taneja
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy; D000368:Aged; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000506:poisoning*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D003244:Consciousness Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018020:Lithium Compounds / Q000506:poisoning*; D008297:Male; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D018692:Antimanic Agents; D018020:Lithium Compounds