1/2. Severe hypophosphatemia in a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis and acute respiratory failure.Although hypophosphatemia is a common complication during therapy of diabetic ketoacidosis, it is seldom severe and rarely causes clinical manifestations. We report a 39-year-old woman with diabetic ketoacidosis who developed acute respiratory failure after therapy. Although hyperglycemia and acidosis were corrected after treatment, respiratory distress and weakness still persisted. The chest radiograph showed no active lung lesion. brain CT revealed no significant abnormality. Echocardiographic study revealed normal LV systolic wall motion. blood biochemistry demonstrated severe hypophosphatemia of 0.3 mg/dL (normal value: 2.5 to 4.5 mg/dL). Phosphate replacement therapy with potassium phosphate was given. The patient's clinical condition improved steadily over the next few days, and after 4 weeks of hospitalization, she was discharged home without obvious long-term sequelae. In a critically ill patient, the symptoms of hypophosphatemia are not apparent and may mimic the symptoms of other underlying disease. Although phosphate replacement is not recommended routinely in diabetic ketoacidosis, if the patient develops cardiopulmonary distress, anemia or severe hypophosphatemia, phosphate therapy under close surveillance is indicated.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = ketoacidosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/2. Reversible myocardial dysfunction in a patient with alcoholic ketoacidosis: a role for hypophosphatemia.A 39-year-old woman had alcoholic ketoacidosis complicated by reversible life-threatening myocardial dysfunction. This complication occurred a few hours after correction of acidosis in association with severe hypophosphatemia. A marked improvement in clinical, echocardiographic, and hemodynamic features was associated with the normalization of the serum phosphorus level. This case illustrates a rare complication of hypophosphatemia, emphasizing the need for emergency physicians to consider this metabolic disorder in the treatment of patients with alcoholic ketoacidosis. The pathogenesis of hypophosphatemia in alcoholic ketoacidosis, its potential role in myocardial dysfunction, and its therapeutic implications in emergencies are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = ketoacidosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |