Acute Adrenal Insufficiency Precipitated by the Discontinuation of a Betamethasone and Dextrochlorpheniramine Combination: The Diagnostic Utility of an Echocardiographic Assessment of Systemic Vascular Resistance

Abstract

A 72-year-old woman with primary biliary cholangitis was admitted to our hospital with heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction. An accidental right ventricular perforation that occurred during an endomyocardial biopsy precipitated cardiogenic shock. Despite successful surgical treatment, she demonstrated progressive hemodynamic deterioration, which was resistant to the administration of high-dose catecholamines. She was diagnosed with acute adrenal insufficiency, which was attributed to the discontinuation of Celestamine^® (betamethasone/dextrochlorpheniramine combination) just after the perforation. Prompt intravenous administration of hydrocortisone (150 mg/day) led to hemodynamic stabilization. The serial noninvasive assessment of systemic vascular resistance using transthoracic echocardiography was instrumental in detecting acute adrenal insufficiency in this case.