Severe Hypokalemia due to Combination Use of Dexamethasone and Calcium Gluconate for Diabetics with Infection: A Case Report

The combination use of dexamethasone and calcium gluconate can be applied to hypersensitiv-ity. Severe hypokalemia is a usual complication of dexamethasone and calcium gluconate therapy, whichoccurs frequently with therapeutic use. Fatal cases, accidental and intentional, occur frequently in forensicpractice. The current case report presented a 43-year-old man with diabetes mellitus with infection, towhom dexamethasone and calcium gluconate were administered in the private clinic. With the develop-ment of such clinical symptoms of severe hypokalemia as quadriplegia, he was confirmed to have severehypokalemia through a biochemical test before dying of arrhythmia. And also it presented pathophysio-logic mechanism underlying severe hypokalemia as well as suggestions for clinical practice regardingcombination use of dexamethasone and calcium gluconate.     

复方真武冲剂治疗慢性心力衰竭20例临床观察

目的观察复方真武冲剂对慢性心力衰竭（chronic heart failure，CHF）患者症状体征和生活质量的影响。方法将40例CHF患者（NYHAⅡ～Ⅳ级）随机分为两组：对照组采用常规西药治疗；研究组所用药物成分同对照组，药物剂量为对照组剂量的1／2～2／3，并加服复方真武冲剂。两组疗程均为2周。治疗前后分别观察两组的中医症状体征和生活质量。结果两组治疗后中医症状体征积分和生活质量积分显著降低（P〈0．01），且研究组显著低于对照组（P〈0．05）。结论复方真武冲剂对CHF患者中医证候和生活质量有一定的改善作用。