Hypokalemia-induced abnormal movements: case report

Trauma Monthly
Alireza BaratlooBehrooz Hashemi

Abstract

A sudden loss of consciousness followed by abnormal movements can be ictal or syncopal in origin. Transient response by the brain to sudden decrease of blood flow may cause sudden loss of consciousness followed by abnormal movements that mimic seizure. Dysrhythmia is one of the important and critical reasons of such events that should be differentiated from seizure. In this case report we describe a 55 year-old woman admitted to our emergency department first with the impression of seizure. Eventually, it was realized that she had suffered from brain hypo-perfusion secondary to hypokalemia induced arrhythmia. Her arrhythmia was managed by unsynchronized biphasic shock in acute phase and also potassium replacement. She was then admitted to the CCU (Coronary Care Unit) where she received further care for medical management and drug dose adjustment and was discharged 4 days later. Syncope from arrhythmia most commonly results from ventricular tachycardia, which accounts for 11% of all cases of syncope. Torsades de point is a unique type of ventricular tachycardia, characterized by QRS complexes of changing amplitude proceeded by prolonged QT intervals and almost often followed by loss of consciousness and also seizure like movemen...Continue Reading

References

Dec 1, 1995·Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia = Journal Canadien D'anesthésie·J P ChvilicekG E Hill
Nov 21, 2000·Postgraduate Medical Journal·W Arthur, G C Kaye
Jan 5, 2002·Neurologic Clinics·Jack E Riggs
Sep 21, 2002·Journal of Neurology·Klaus Kunze
Oct 9, 2002·The American Journal of Emergency Medicine·Thuy T BuiHarold K Simon
Sep 16, 2003·The Neurologist·Suzette M LaRoche, Sandra L Helmers
Jan 30, 2007·Journal of Clinical Pathology·W S A SmellieC A M McNulty

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia that is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly due to stroke and thromboembolism. Here is the latest research.

Arrhythmia

Arrhythmias are abnormalities in heart rhythms, which can be either too fast or too slow. They can result from abnormalities of the initiation of an impulse or impulse conduction or a combination of both. Here is the latest research on arrhythmias.

Related Papers

The Medical Clinics of North America
Louis H Weimer, Pezhman Zadeh
Clinical Toxicology : the Official Journal of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology and European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists
Hossein Sanaei-ZadehBabak Mostafazadeh
Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America
R J Prodinger, E J Reisdorff
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved