Ventricular Fibrillation Due to Severe Hypokalemia Induced by Steroid Treatment in a Patient with Thyrotoxic Periodic Paralysis

Abstract

We report a 25yearold Japanese man with ventricular fibrillation associated with severe hypokalemia. He developed arm and leg paralysis. He had received 2 g of methylprednisolone because thoracic epidural hematoma had been suspected in another hospital. His serum potassium was 0.8 mEq/l on arrival at our hospital. Half an hour after arrival ventricular fibrillation occurred. Treatment with electric defibrillation 8 times was successful. Afterward Graves' disease was diagnosed, therefore, his clinical symptom was diagnosed as thyrotoxic periodic paralysis. We considered that the unusual condition of hyperthyroidrelated hypokalemia worsened by steroid therapy induced the ventricular fibrillation.