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Case Reports
. 2021 Sep 5:34:101500.
doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2021.101500. eCollection 2021.

Acute respiratory failure on a low dose of amiodarone - is it an underdiagnosed and undertreated condition?

Mijo Meter  1 , Ivana Kuzmić Prusac  2 , Duška Glavaš  1 , Diana Meter  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Acute respiratory failure on a low dose of amiodarone - is it an underdiagnosed and undertreated condition?

Mijo Meter et al. Respir Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity (AIPT) has a variety of presentations. Amiodarone use has been rarely associated with the development of acute respiratory failure. We present a patient with a history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome despite taking a low dose of amiodarone and having no risk or precipitating factors. The diagnosis of AIPT was made after drug discontinuation and exclusion of other potential causes. The development of acute respiratory failure due to AIPT is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Better identification of risk factors and developing appropriate diagnostic tools for risk stratification of patients receiving amiodarone is mandatory.

Keywords: Acute respiratory failure; Amiodarone; Pulmonary toxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Diffuse bilateral perihilar inhomogenous infiltrates on chest X-ray.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(A and B) High-resolution computed tomography scan of the chest showing diffuse interlobar septal thickening with ground-glass opacities.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Lung tissue showing organizing pneumonia, interstitial thickening and hyaline membranes (H&E stain, 100X).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The alveolar septae are thickened and infiltrated by mononuclear cell infiltration, lined by hyperplastic pneumocytes type II. Organizing pneumonia is also seen. (H&E stain, 400X).
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Small aggregates of lipid-laden macrophages in alveolar spaces. Also note aforementioned morphologic changes (H&E stain, 400X).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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