RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Serious adverse events experienced by patients with chronic heart failure taking spironolactone
JF Heart
JO Heart
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Cardiovascular Society
SP e8
OP e8
DO 10.1136/heart.85.4.e8
VO 85
IS 4
A1 C Berry
A1 J J V McMurray
YR 2001
UL http://heart.bmj.com/content/85/4/e8.abstract
AB In patients with chronic heart failure, spironolactone added to conventional treatment may lead to serious and, occasionally, fatal hyperkalaemia. In some cases this seems to happen because spironolactone causes diarrhoea. Four cases involving men with New York Heart Association functional class III heart failure are presented. As these cases revealed, close monitoring of blood chemistry is mandatory after starting spironolactone, and patients should be advised to stop spironolactone immediately if diarrhoea develops.