Venlafaxine intoxication with development of takotsubo cardiomyopathy: successful use of extracorporeal life support, intravenous lipid emulsion and CytoSorb®

Int J Artif Organs. 2017 Jul 5;40(7):358-360. doi: 10.5301/ijao.5000595. Epub 2017 May 23.

Abstract

We describe a young patient who ingested 18 g (240 times the daily therapeutic dose) of venlafaxine in a suicide attempt. She developed severe cardiomyopathy in a takotsubo distribution causing cardiogenic shock and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). She was successfully treated with intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE), extracorporeal life support (ECLS) and CytoSorb®. This is remarkable as, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the highest amount of venlafaxine intake seen in the literature with a nonfatal outcome.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation*
  • Fat Emulsions, Intravenous / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Hemofiltration / methods*
  • Humans
  • Multiple Organ Failure / etiology
  • Multiple Organ Failure / therapy
  • Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors / poisoning*
  • Shock, Cardiogenic / etiology
  • Shock, Cardiogenic / therapy
  • Suicide, Attempted
  • Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy / etiology
  • Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy / therapy*
  • Venlafaxine Hydrochloride / poisoning*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Fat Emulsions, Intravenous
  • Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors
  • Venlafaxine Hydrochloride