When a Cure Becomes a Curse: The Complex Clinical Scenario Involving Amiodarone Therapy and BRASH (Bradycardia, Renal failure, Atrioventricular Nodal Blockade, Shock, and Hyperkalemia) Syndrome

Abstract

BRASH [bradycardia, renal failure, atrioventricular (AV) nodal blockade, shock, and hyperkalemia] syndrome is a recently recognized clinical condition that is rare but can be potentially life-threatening. Its pathogenesis is characterized by a self-perpetuating cycle of bradycardia that is potentiated by the concomitant occurrence of medication use, hyperkalemia, and renal failure. AV nodal blocking agents are commonly implicated in BRASH syndrome. We report a case of a 97-year-old female patient with a medical history of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hypothyroidism who presented to the emergency department with a one-day history of diarrhea and vomiting. Upon presentation, the patient was hypotensive, bradycardic, and had severe hyperkalemia, acute renal failure, and anion gap metabolic acidosis, raising concern for BRASH syndrome. The treatment of each component of BRASH syndrome resulted in the resolution of the symptoms. The association of BRASH syndrome with amiodarone, the only AV nodal blocking agent in this particular case, is not commonly reported.