Cardiac arrest secondary to indomethacin-induced renal failure: a case report

Acute renal failure secondary to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents is an uncommon occurrence, but may have serious or even lethal consequences. We present one such reaction resulting in cardiac arrest in a 59-year-old diabetic treated with indomethacin. Since presenting symptoms may be vague and unimpressive, one must consider this potential complication to make an early diagnosis and intervene appropriately. In addition when prescribing anti-inflammatory drugs such as indomethacin, one should be cautious in patients who are predisposed to the development of acute renal failure. Risk factors that should be considered are preexistent hepatorenal dysfunction, extracellular fluid volume contraction, and concomitant use of nephrotoxic drugs.