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Amelioration of nifedipine poisoning associated with glucagon therapy
F G Walter1, G Frye, J T Mullen
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Valley Medical Center, San Francisco.
Abstract:
Glucagon relieves calcium channel blocker-induced hypotension in animal studies. There are no published case reports of glucagon relieving hypotension in patients with calcium channel blocker poisoning. We describe a patient who developed hypotension after ingestion of 900 mg nifedipine. Therapy with IV lactated Ringer's solution and calcium chloride alone did not relieve his hypotension. However, hypotension rapidly resolved after the addition of IV glucagon therapy. This is the first case report of glucagon therapy at least temporally associated with relief of hypotension in a patient with calcium channel blocker poisoning. More research is needed to determine the appropriate role for glucagon in treating patients with calcium channel blocker poisoning.