A 68-year-old diabetic and hypertensive woman presented with chronic autonomic diarrhoea, syncope and palpitations which were associated with QT prolongation and recurrent episodes of torsade de pointes. She was on glibenclamide, indapamide and probucol (for type V hyperlipidaemia). Despite intravenous infusions of potassium, lignocaine and amiodarone, the unstable rhythm persisted. However, intravenous magnesium sulphate with small doses of intravenous propranolol terminated the torsade de pointes. She was stabilised but following discharge she relapsed, and upon re-admission, succumbed to intractable ventricular fibrillation. Early recognition and aggressive treatment of this condition is emphasised. Multiple aggravating factors ie autonomic diarrhoea resulting in severe potassium and magnesium depletion, kaliuretic effect of indapamide, probable QT prolongation associated with diabetic autonomic neuropathy and probucol; probable underlying coronary artery disease and heightened emotional and sympathetic discharge could have contributed to this very unstable ventricular arrhythmia and sudden death.
We report two cases of acute renal failure that followed the ingestion of jering. Features of jering poisoning included clinical presentation of bilateral loin pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, oligo-anuria, haematuria and passage of sandy particles in the urine. Blood urea (40.8 mmol/l; 21.9 mmol/l) and serum creatinine (1249 mumols/l; 693 mumols/l) were markedly elevated. With conservative therapy which included rehydration with normal saline and alkalinisation of the urine with sodium bicarbonate, the acute renal failure resolved.