Toxic use of baclofen causing cramps during tapering.

The spasmolytic agent baclofen is regarded as having a low dependence potential. This is a case report of a 46-year-old woman with an escalating use of baclofen to four times the highest recommended dose. She was initially admitted to hospital due to decreased consciousness. Later, during tapering, she was readmitted unresponsive with myoclonus. Baclofen was discontinued abruptly during sedation with propofol and remifentanil infusion as well as midazolam in refract doses. Eight days later she was discharged without sequelae.

Management of amlodipine-induced ankle oedema.

Pedal oedema is a well-known adverse effect of amlodipine, but significantly less frequent if only half of the maximum recommended dosage is used. Diuretics are ineffective. To cause as few side effects as possible, options for managing are prioritised in this review: Reduce dosage, switch to lercanidipine/lacidipine, switch to another group, add/increase dosage of an ACE-inhibitor/angiotensin II-receptor blocker, administer at night, or switch to verapamil/diltiazem. Non-pharmacologic actions or observation may be considered when the oedemas are mild and not bothersome.

Prognostic importance of culprit lesion location in cardiogenic shock due to myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: As existing results are diverging, and the patient population has changed significantly, this study sought to investigate the prognostic importance of the culprit lesion location in patients with cardiogenic shock due to myocardial infarction (AMICS), in a contemporary and unselected patient population. METHODS: From the recruitment area of two tertiary heart centres in Denmark, covering 3.9 million citizens corresponding to two-thirds of the Danish population, all AMICS patients in the period of 2010-2017 were individually identified and validated through patient records. RESULTS: A total of 1716 patients with AMICS were identified. Immediate revascularization was performed in 1482 patients (86%). Among these, a culprit lesion in the left main coronary artery (LM) was associated with the highest 30-day mortality rate (66%), plogrank<0.0001, which persisted after multivariable adjustment for variables known to be associated with mortality in AMICS, including age, gender, heart rate, lactate, diabetes, stroke and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, p=0.002. A culprit lesion in the remaining coronary arteries had comparable and lower 30-day mortality (43-48%), plogrank=0.39. Patients with multivessel disease had comparable prognoses irrespective of whether a culprit-only or multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention strategy was used (plogrank=0.80), and whether partial or complete revascularization was achieved (plogrank=0.24). CONCLUSIONS: Among AMICS patients undergoing revascularization, a LM culprit lesion was associated with the highest short-term mortality, whereas patients with a culprit lesion in the remaining coronary arteries had comparable and lower mortality rates. Multivessel disease patients had similar prognoses irrespective of percutaneous coronary intervention approach and whether partial or complete revascularization was achieved.

The association of diabetes and admission blood glucose with 30-day mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock.

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock is the leading cause of death in patients with acute myocardial infarction, with short-term mortality of approximately 50%. Whether diabetes mellitus and high blood glucose levels are associated with mortality in contemporary patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock is inadequately described. PURPOSE: To investigate if diabetes mellitus and high admission blood glucose were associated with 30-day mortality in a large, contemporary population with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock. METHODS: Patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock admitted at two tertiary centres in Denmark from 2010 to 2017 were individually identified through patient charts, resulting in the inclusion of 1716 cardiogenic shock patients. Glucose level at admission to the intensive care unit was available in 1302 patients. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in 30-day mortality between diabetes mellitus types I and II (63% vs. 62%, NS). Thirty-day mortality was significantly higher in diabetes patients compared to non-diabetes patients (62% vs. 50%, P < 0.001). Increasing admission glucose was associated with increasing 30-day mortality in a dose-dependent manner in diabetes mellitus (4-8 mmol/L, 41%; 8-12 mmol/L, 49%; 12-16 mmol/L, 63%; >16 mmol/L, 67%; P = 0.028) and non-diabetes patients (4-8 mmol/L, 32%; 8-12 mmol/L, 43%; 12-16 mmol/L, 57%; >16 mmol/l; 68%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock and concomitant diabetes mellitus type I or II had a significantly higher 30-day mortality in comparison to patients without diabetes mellitus, whereas no difference was found between diabetes mellitus types I and II. High glucose levels on admission to the intensive care unit were associated with increased 30-day mortality in diabetes mellitus and non-diabetes mellitus patients.