Infants treated with amiodarone require careful monitoring of thyroid function tests due to the risk of severe hypothyroidism and its potential developmental consequences.
Alerts clinicians to monitor thyroid function in amiodarone-treated infants; leaves open whether routine screening prevents developmental harm.
OBJECTIVE: To report a case of postnatal, postoperative amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism in an infant with a congenital heart defect. DESIGN: Case report and literature review. SETTING: Pediatric intensive care unit at a freestanding tertiary care children's hospital. PATIENT: At 7 wks of age, a female infant with a congenital heart defect was confirmed to have profound hypothyroidism after amiodarone administration for a postoperative cardiac arrhythmia. INTERVENTIONS: Levothyroxine treatment. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Thyroid function tests were regularly performed to guide levothyroxine dosing. Thyroid hormone replacement was discontinued after the infant had been off amiodarone for 6 mos. CONCLUSIONS: Given the potential adverse developmental consequences associated with hypothyroidism during infancy and early childhood, thyroid function tests should be carefully monitored in any infant treated with amiodarone.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Trudel et al. (2010) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: