Protocols cure diseases, not patients: flaccid paresis in post-NSTEMI statin treatment

An 82-year-old white woman presented at our Internal Medicine ward with flaccid tetraparesis. Two months earlier, she had suffered a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and stenting, and she had been prescribed the classical post-PCI therapy (β-blockers, statins and antiplatelet agents). At admission, she was haemodynamically stable and the physical examination revealed reduced reflexes in the four limbs. Urgent laboratory findings revealed mild hypokalaemia. Considering the high statin doses she was taking, we also performed an urgent creatine phosphokinase test, which indicated rhabdomyolysis. Statin therapy was immediately stopped and aggressive fluid treatment begun, supplemented with potassium for increased urinary potassium losses. The patient progressively regained muscle strength.