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Key Words
Labetolol * Hyperkalemia * beta-Blockers * Hypertension * Renal failure
Abstract
Intravenous labetolol, a nonselective alpha- and beta-blocking drug, is commonly used to treat severe hypertension. Nonselective beta-blockers can cause hyperkalemia, especially in patients with renal failure. One series reported 3 renal transplant patients who had hyperkalemia after labetolol infusion, but none of these patients developed any serious complication. We report a case of life-threatening hyperkalemia (serum [K+] 9.9 mEq/1) with ventricular tachycardia and hypotension in a patient on maintenance hemodialysis who received labetolol for a hypertensive emergency. Physicians should be aware of this potentially lethal complication, which is easily preventable.
Copyright (c) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel
Introduction
The use of nonselective beta-blocking drugs has been associated with hyperkalemia, which can be life-threatening, especially in renal failure patients [1-4]. The sensitivity of such patients to the effects of beta-agonist and antagonist drugs is confirmed by the fact that the beta-agonist albuterol can be used to treat hyperkalemia [5]. Labetolol,...