Drug Safety - Case Reports

Day care is a potential alternative to inpatient care of cancer patients. Using day care reduces medical costs substantially compared to inpatient care, which is driving the transfer of many inpatient chemotherapy protocols to day care hospitals (DCHs). However, in contrast to inpatient management, day care provides limited observation time, which could increase the risk of renal toxicity when using these protocols. We present a case report of acute kidney injury following high-dose methotrexate administration in a DCH...

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been reported as possibly associated with Fournier's gangrene (FG). This case report describes a 34-year-old Japanese man who was diagnosed with FG after the administration of empagliflozin for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). He presented with pain and swelling in the perineum and groin 142 days after initiating empagliflozin. The clinical features, laboratory data, and computed tomographic findings were consistent with FG. Surgical drainage and debridement of necrotic tissues were performed immediately after admission to our hospital...

A 72-year-old housewife presented with ischemic cerebrovascular stroke. Intravenous thrombolysis using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) followed by mechanical thrombectomy under general anesthesia were attempted. The patient developed stridor and tongue swelling, in addition to hypotension and bradycardia, 60 min after completion of the rt-PA infusion. The airway was intubated, and intramuscular adrenaline, together with intravenous hydrocortisone and diphenhydramine, were administered...

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in non-diabetic adult patients; 75% of adult patients with MN suffer from primary idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). The treatment of choice is immunosuppressive therapy, with a combination of steroids and cyclophosphamide (CYF) or chlorambucil or, as second-line treatment, calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs). One of the main concerns associated with the usage of CNIs is their potential to induce nephrotoxicity. We report a case of acute kidney injury that developed on two separate occasions within days of the administration of CNIs in a 57-year-old male patient treated for MN...

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is an extremely rare condition characterized by separation of dermoepidermal junctions, necrosis, and subsequent detachment of the epidermis over large cutaneous areas. TEN can emerge after exposure to certain medications such as allopurinol, aromatic anticonvulsants, NSAIDs, nevirapine, and antibacterial sulfonamides. There is no standard protocol for TEN, and the therapy of choice varies from one patient to another. Some of these therapies include silver-releasing wraps/dressings, glucocorticoids, antibodies to inhibit Fas-mediated keratinocyte apoptosis, and cyclosporine A...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can be induced by various medications, such as hydralazine, procainamide, isoniazid, methyldopa, chlorpromazine, quinidine, and minocycline. A patient was admitted complaining of fever with chills and rigor. After being diagnosed with tuberculous meningitis, the patient was given antituberculosis treatment. As the patient did not improve, detailed investigations were conducted, and elevated antinuclear antibody levels were found. The consulting physician diagnosed that the patient was suffering from SLE...

This case report describes a suspected and fatal adverse reaction involving vitamin K-dependent coagulopathy that might be associated with cefoperazone/sulbactam (CPZ/SAM), a combined antimicrobial formulation. We reported a patient diagnosed with acute cerebral infarction and secondary pulmonary infection who was treated with an intravenous infusion of CPZ/SAM at 3 g twice daily. After receiving treatment with CPZ/SAM, the patient developed a fatal adverse reaction of CPZ-induced hemorrhage. The Naranjo assessment score in this report was 5, suggesting that the patient's coagulation function disorder was potentially associated with the use of CPZ/SAM...

Hyperthyroidism in pregnancy is associated with a increased incidence of low birth weight, preterm birth and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. However, available treatment options are limited. In this report, we present a case of fetal gastroschisis with a history of intrauterine exposure to methimazole. A 37-year-old woman was diagnosed with Grave's disease 3 years before her pregnancy. She had a poor response to propylthiouracil and required high-dose methimazole before her pregnancy. During the first trimester, she received methimazole 120 mg/day...

A 49-year-old woman developed an anaphylactic reaction to Tc-99m macrosalb used for pulmonary scintigraphy. The patient received an intravenous injection of Tc-99m macrosalb 120 MBq, containing macroaggregates of human albumin 0.14 mg. Within 1 min she developed itching all over her body, an itching throat and dyspnoea. This was followed by urticaria and facial oedema. She was diagnosed with an anaphylactic shock. The patient received clemastine and prednisone, and fully recovered after release from the hospital...

A 70-year-old Japanese man with mantle cell lymphoma underwent extensive chemotherapy and radiation because of the relapse of mantle cell lymphoma. He developed mediastinal emphysema and a pneumothorax 14 days after treatment with 560 mg of ibrutinib. The mediastinal emphysema and the right pneumothorax disappeared after the ibrutinib treatment was tapered off. The patient developed interstitial pneumonia without any infection and new lesions of mantle cell lymphoma in the lungs after restarting treatment with 560 mg of ibrutinib...

A 24-year-old woman with atopic dermatitis and persistent fever (axillary temperature of 37-38 °C for 6 months) received combination ophthalmic drops containing tropicamide and phenylephrine (Mydrin® -P), which exacerbated her fever within 15 min after instillation. Her axillary fever reached 40.1 °C but resolved the following day. No new dermatological symptoms developed. Although the patient's fever may have been caused by either tropicamide or phenylephrine, neither of which have been reported to induce fever in topical formulations, atopic dermatitis and tropicamide's inhibitory effect on perspiration under hot and humid conditions may have been the more probable cause...

A 29-year-old Black female patient was admitted to a psychiatric ward with symptoms of major depressive disorder with psychosis. The patient was started on amitriptyline 50 mg/day and haloperidol 10 mg/day. On day 4 post-admission, the preferred first-line antidepressant, fluoxetine, became available and the patient was switched from amitriptyline to fluoxetine 20 mg/day. On the same day, the dose of haloperidol was reduced to 5 mg/day. Thirteen days post-initiation of these medications the patient became talkative, associated with emotional lability, an expansive mood, irritability and restlessness...

An 85-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of dysphagia, and was diagnosed with benign stricture of the esophagus. He was hospitalized repeatedly for balloon dilations. Pantoprazole sodium (80 mg, twice daily, intravenously) was administered each time when he was in hospital, while esomeprazole (20 mg/day, orally) was administered intermittently when he was at home. Reductions in both white blood cells and platelets were noticed about 4 months after proton pump inhibitors were introduced. Bone marrow suppression induced by proton pump inhibitors was diagnosed as proven by bone marrow biopsy...

Two female patients aged 45 and 51 years experienced curling of hair during treatment with alitretinoin (Toctino® ). For one patient, the indication for use was severe chronic hand eczema, but for the second patient the indication was not reported. After 5 and 9 months, respectively, the patients developed hair texture changes and their straight hair began to curl. The dose of alitretinoin was reduced in both cases, but the patients' hair had not straightened at the time of reporting (9 months and 2 years after onset of the event)...

A male individual aged 82 years with hypertension who had a smoking history, but no history of cardiovascular events, developed acute myocardial infarction immediately after he took oral polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution with ascorbic acid as a pretreatment for a colonoscopy to examine anemia. He took polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution with ascorbic acid at twice (2 L/h) the rate recommended in the package insert and by the physician. The patient showed impaired consciousness 2 h after taking polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution with ascorbic acid and his family called the emergency medical service...

Peripheral antidopaminergic medication is frequently prescribed to treat nausea. However, domperidone is ill-famed for its severe cardiac adverse effects. Metoclopramide has been suggested as a relatively safe alternative because it has long been considered to have less significant cardiovascular adverse effects. We present an older patient who developed severe bradycardia and hypotension shortly after receiving intravenous metoclopramide. Cardiac adverse effects of metoclopramide in elderly are not frequently described in the literature, especially not in patients without a major history of cardiac disease...

Fixed drug eruption (FDE) was caused by fixed-dose combination (FDC) of antituberculosis drugs in the form of tablet Forecox® (rifampicin [rifampin] 225 mg + isoniazid 150 mg + pyrazinamide 750 mg + ethambutol 400 mg) in a 40-year-old male patient with a history of drug allergy. The patient developed FDE after taking the third dose of tablet Forecox® for pulmonary tuberculosis. Tablet Forecox® was withdrawn and the patient recovered from the reaction after 15 days of treatment for FDE. As per World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre (WHO-UMC) and Naranjo causality assessment criteria, the association between the reaction and tablet Forecox® was possible and probable, respectively...

Gynecomastia is a common finding in males, with an incidence that varies widely globally. In 10-25% of cases, it is caused by drugs. Its pathophysiologic mechanism includes exposure to exogenous estrogens and medications that cause hypogonadism, antiandrogenic effects and hyperprolactinemia. Gynecomastia is associated with exposure to antiretroviral therapy (ART), particularly efavirenz. Sometimes surgery may be required as treatment. We report a case of a 46-year-old man receiving ART presenting with a marked bilateral breast enlargement who underwent bilateral mastectomy as the only successful treatment in a low-income setting...

A 17-year-old male with history of neuromyelitis optica and seizures presented to the pulmonology clinic for evaluation of recurrent pneumonias. He had received rituximab for the past 6 years. Over the past 2 years, he experienced four episodes of pneumonia. In between these episodes, he would improve briefly but continued to have daily cough that was productive with yellow phlegm. He also had recurrent rhinitis and sinusitis despite multiple antibiotic courses. Review of chest X-rays revealed localized right middle lobe and right lower lobe infiltrates...

A 22-year-old man was admitted for an elective right-shoulder open subacromial decompression and distal clavicle excision. He received a single intravenous dose of fentanyl 50 μg for anesthesia. His procedure was completed without intra-operative complications; however, he developed post-operative respiratory depression in the setting of narcotic administration. He was given naloxone 0.2 mg intravenously once to reverse this effect, which subsequently led to acute hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary edema shortly after administration of naloxone...