Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Studying Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics for Developing New Treatment Strategies
Published on: June 20, 2015
Severe acidosis in patients taking metformin--rapid reversal and survival despite high APACHE score
M J Nyirenda1, T Sandeep, I Grant
1Metabolic Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.
Background:
Metformin has been shown to reduce complications and mortality from Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and is increasingly used to treat this condition. This agent is, however, associated with a rare but serious risk of lactic acidosis.
Case Report:
We present cases of 10 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus who developed acute renal failure and severe lactic acidosis. Despite the severity of their illness, all patients but one survived.
Conclusions:
The increasing prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and its treatment with metformin might result in more cases of lactic acidosis. However our case report demonstrates that early and aggressive treatment with haemofiltration can improve outcomes even in the presence of severe acidosis.
Related Concept Videos
Diabetic Ketoacidosis l: Introduction
Diabetic Ketoacidosis ll: Pathophysiology
Oral Hypoglycemic Agents: Biguanides and Glitazones
Hypoglycemia and Glucagon
Acute Pancreatitis II: Clinical Manifestations and Management
