Bradycardia Shock Caused by the Combined Use of Carteolol Eye Drops and Verapamil in an Elderly Patient with Atrial Fibrillation and Chronic Kidney Disease.

Abstract

Ophthalmic carteolol is often used to treat glaucoma. Elderly patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are common among the super-elderly in Japan. Because these patients are exposed to polypharmacy, they are at a high-risk of adverse drug interactions. We herein report an elderly patient with CKD who suffered bradycardia shock after the combined use of carteolol eye drops and verapamil for glaucoma and paroxysmal AF. This case highlights the fact that eye drops have a similar systemic effect to oral drugs, and especially in elderly patients with polypharmacy, drug interactions can unwittingly lead to serious events.

• Authors: Riku Arai, Daisuke Fukamachi, Masaki Monden, Naotaka Akutsu, Nobuhiro Murata, Yasuo Okumura
• Journal: Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) (Intern Med) Vol. 60 Issue 1 Pg. 79-83 (Jan 01 2021) ISSN: 1349-7235 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 32830185 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Ophthalmic Solutions
• Carteolol
• Verapamil

Topics

• Aged
• Atrial Fibrillation (complications, drug therapy)
• Bradycardia (chemically induced)
• Carteolol
• Humans
• Japan
• Ophthalmic Solutions (adverse effects)
• Renal Insufficiency, Chronic (complications)
• Verapamil (adverse effects)