Key result
Amiodarone at 100 mg daily linked to fatal acute pneumonitis in a case report.
Why the study?
Amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity remains a serious but under-recognised adverse effect despite reduced dosing and requires vigilant monitoring.
Case Report (n=1)
Highlights the risk of fatal amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity even at very low doses (100 mg daily), emphasizing the need for regular monitoring.
Fatal low-dose amiodarone pneumonitis is possible; this single case leaves open incidence, risk factors, and monitoring needs.
Amiodarone is a common medication used widely in clinical practice. It is a triiodinated antiarrhythmic associated with a variety of adverse effects both pulmonary and extrapulmonary, the most serious being amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity (AIPT) or amiodarone lung. This can present with a variety of clinical syndromes ranging from subacute symptoms to an indolent and a progressive course thus mimicking an alternative diagnosis. We report a case of amiodarone lung in a female who presented with an acute fulminant progressive pneumonitis despite being on very low dose (100 mg once daily) that proved fatal. Diagnosis was made on postmortem examination due to a diagnostic conundrum. Despite the steady decrease of AIPT with reduced dose, it is vital for the treating clinicians to monitor regularly for adverse effects and review the need for long-term use to prevent complications.
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Baron et al. (2021) conducted a case report in Amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity (amiodarone lung) (n=1). Amiodarone was evaluated on Fatal acute fulminant progressive pneumonitis. Amiodarone at a very low dose of 100 mg once daily resulted in fatal acute fulminant progressive pneumonitis in a female patient, diagnosed on postmortem examination.
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