[Coma caused by hypermagnesemia in a pregnant woman complicated with HELLP syndrome]

Kentaro Hayashi1, Masakatsu Oshiro, Itaru Takara

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology, University of the Ryukyus Faculty of Medicine, Okinawa 903-0215.

Masui. the Japanese Journal of Anesthesiology
|August 13, 2003
PubMed

This case report describes a pregnant woman with acute renal failure, caused by aggravation of HELLP syndrome, who developed coma induced by overdose of continuous magnesium sulfate administration for eclampsia. Before examination of serum concentration of magnesium, coma was suspected to be the result of brain vascular problem or brain infarction. Patient was treated in ICU and hemodialysis was started, and she recovered fully from abnormal neurological symptoms. This case illustrate that hypermagnesemia should be considered in the pregnant woman with coma at ER and ICU. Furthermore, the accurate information about the continuous administration of magnesium by previous clinician helped us to make correct diagnosis and to treat the patient successfully.

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