Toxicokinetics of hydroxychloroquine following a massive overdose. 2019

Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
Division of Medical Toxicology, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; New York City Poison Control Center, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: jdeolan@emory.edu.

We report a patient with a massive hydroxychloroquine overdose manifested by profound hypokalemia and ventricular dysrhythmias and describe hydroxychloroquine toxicokinetics. A 20-year-old woman (60 kg) presented 1 h after ingesting 36 g of hydroxychloroquine. Vital signs were: BP, 66 mmHg/palpation; heart rate, 115/min; respirations 18/min; oxygen saturation, 100% on room air. She was immediately given intravenous fluids and intubated. Infusions of diazepam and epinephrine were started. Activated charcoal was administered. Her initial serum potassium of 5.3 mEq/L decreased to 2.1 mEq/L 1 h later. The presenting electrocardiogram (ECG) showed sinus tachycardia at 119 beats/min with a QRS duration of 146 ms, and a QT interval of 400 ms (Bazett's QTc 563 ms). She had four episodes of ventricular tachydysrhythmias requiring cardioversion, electrolyte repletion, and lidocaine infusion. Her blood hydroxychloroquine concentration peaked at 28,000 ng/mL (therapeutic range 500-2000 ng/mL). Serial concentrations demonstrated apparent first-order elimination with a half-life of 11.6 h. She was extubated on hospital day three and had a full recovery. We present a massive hydroxychloroquine overdose treated with early intubation, activated charcoal, epinephrine, high dose diazepam, aggressive electrolyte repletion, and lidocaine. The apparent 11.6 hour half-life of hydroxychloroquine was shorter than previously described.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D004562 Electrocardiography Recording of the moment-to-moment electromotive forces of the HEART as projected onto various sites on the body's surface, delineated as a scalar function of time. The recording is monitored by a tracing on slow moving chart paper or by observing it on a cardioscope, which is a CATHODE RAY TUBE DISPLAY. 12-Lead ECG,12-Lead EKG,12-Lead Electrocardiography,Cardiography,ECG,EKG,Electrocardiogram,Electrocardiograph,12 Lead ECG,12 Lead EKG,12 Lead Electrocardiography,12-Lead ECGs,12-Lead EKGs,12-Lead Electrocardiographies,Cardiographies,ECG, 12-Lead,EKG, 12-Lead,Electrocardiograms,Electrocardiographies, 12-Lead,Electrocardiographs,Electrocardiography, 12-Lead
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D006886 Hydroxychloroquine A chemotherapeutic agent that acts against erythrocytic forms of malarial parasites. Hydroxychloroquine appears to concentrate in food vacuoles of affected protozoa. It inhibits plasmodial heme polymerase. (From Gilman et al., Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th ed, p970) Hydroxychlorochin,Oxychlorochin,Oxychloroquine,Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate,Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate (1:1) Salt,Plaquenil
D000962 Antimalarials Agents used in the treatment of malaria. They are usually classified on the basis of their action against plasmodia at different stages in their life cycle in the human. (From AMA, Drug Evaluations Annual, 1992, p1585) Anti-Malarial,Antimalarial,Antimalarial Agent,Antimalarial Drug,Anti-Malarials,Antimalarial Agents,Antimalarial Drugs,Agent, Antimalarial,Agents, Antimalarial,Anti Malarial,Anti Malarials,Drug, Antimalarial,Drugs, Antimalarial
D055815 Young Adult A person between 19 and 24 years of age. Adult, Young,Adults, Young,Young Adults
D062787 Drug Overdose Accidental or deliberate use of a medication or street drug in excess of normal dosage. Drug Overdoses,Overdose, Drug,Overdoses, Drug
D066007 Toxicokinetics The quantitation of the body's metabolism of toxic xenobiotic compounds, as measured by the plasma concentration of the toxicant at various time points.

Related Publications

Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
January 1999, Journal of toxicology. Clinical toxicology,
Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
March 2004, Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica,
Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
March 2015, Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology,
Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
January 2009, Anaesthesia and intensive care,
Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
January 1982, Anesthesia and analgesia,
Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
January 2021, Cureus,
Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
October 2020, Visual journal of emergency medicine,
Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
March 1994, Journal of accident & emergency medicine,
Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
September 2001, The American journal of emergency medicine,
Jonathan de Olano, and Mary Ann Howland, and Mark K Su, and Robert S Hoffman, and Rana Biary
January 2021, Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.),
Copied contents to your clipboard!