OBJECTIVES To review Australian adverse drug reaction reports describing hyponatraemia and hypokalaemia attributed to indapamide and compare the characteristics of the patients with those in Australian reports implicating two other diuretic products (hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride hydrochloride; chlorothiazide). DESIGN Descriptive analysis using reports from the database of the Adverse Dru...

Action potential duration (APD) and conduction velocity restitution explain the dependence of these parameters on the previous diastolic interval (DI). It is considered to be an adaptive mechanism for preserving diastole at fast heart rates. Hypokalaemia is known to induce ventricular arrhythmias that could be prevented by heptanol, the gap junction uncoupler, mediated through increases in vent...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate serum potassium levels and rates of hypokalaemia in patients treated with liquorice-containing Japanese traditional Kampo-medicines Yokukansan (YK) and Yokukansan-ka-chinpihange (YKCH). DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Patients receiving YK preparations for dementia and other psychiatric disorders in the University of Tsukuba Hospital in Japan. PARTICIPANTS...

We report an unusual and emerging cause of profound hypokalaemia associated with a severe myopathy, attributable to misuse of Nurofen Plus, a readily available over-the-counter medication containing ibuprofen and codeine, and excessive ingestion of the caffeine-containing energy drink, Red Bull. The mechanism of the hypokalaemia may be ascribed to ibuprofen-mediated type 2 renal tubular acidosi...

BACKGROUND Potassium deficiency may cause cardiac arrhythmias culminating in syncope or sudden death. METHODS An inquiry performed among physicians caring for a total of 249 patients with inborn salt-losing tubulopathies revealed that acute cardiac complications occurred in seven children. RESULTS Four patients died suddenly and three had severe syncope. These episodes occurred in the conte...

INTRODUCTION Hypokalaemia is an unrecognised complication of vancomycin therapy. CASE PRESENTATION We present a 68-year-old female with an infected hindquarter amputation site who had incurred severe hypokalaemia with recurrent episodes of cardiac arrest requiring cardioversion shortly after commencing intravenous vancomycin therapy. The cause of hypokalaemic cardiac arrest was thought to be ...

The proposal that thiazide diuretics may increase cardiovascular risk receives no support from recent data. Current evidence does not indicate that diuretic-induced hypokalaemia is associated with increased ventricular arrhythmias. This evidence includes continuous electrocardiographic monitoring--which is the most sensitive technique for quantitating cardiac arrhythmias. In contrast to earlier...