Raise vigilance against refractory distributive shock due to severe wet beriberi

Differentiating the type and cause of shock is crucial for intensive care. The rapid aggravation of lactic acidosis in patients often indicates a severe impairment of oxygen uptake in tissues. Herein, we presented a rare case of refractory distributive shock with severe wet beriberi. A 40-year-old male was admitted to the emergency department (ED) with recurrent chest tightness and lower extremity edema. The condition of the patient continued to deteriorate after symptomatic treatments. After several turnovers, the medical history of the patient was requested again and finally obtained. Our emergency management team hypothesized that the thiamine-deficient diet caused an aerobic metabolism disorder in the patient. Overall, we aimed to alert clinicians to unusual causes of distributive shock and further discussed the application of thiamine supplementary therapy in critical care.