Medication reconciliation to minimise medication errors: Iatrogenic hypercalcaemia as a case report

Abstract

Hypercalcaemia is a relatively less common yet life-threatening electrolyte disorder and is caused by parathyroid-dependent and independent factors. This case report describes an elderly lady, a known patient of stable hypothyroidism, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-oliguric chronic kidney disease-IV who presented with complaints of gradually worsening drowsiness. Investigations revealed a hypercalcemic crisis; all other contributory investigations were unremarkable. She was put on intravenous saline rehydration, furosemide, pamidronate, and calcitonin. However, due to new-onset haemodynamic instability, cardiomyopathy, and worsening renal parameters, haemodialysis was initiated to reduce the serum calcium levels rapidly. The patient remained asymptomatic after that, and her renal parameters improved to near baseline levels, though cardiac function improvement was not obtained at the end of one month. History elicited from the patient after her neurological improvement revealed that failing to interpret the prescription of three orthopaedics she had visited lately, she followed all simultaneously and had thus consumed toxic levels of calcium and Vitamin D. Medication reconciliatory measures such as e-prescribing, computerised drug dispensing system, automated patient drug dispensing boxes and ‘brown-bagging’ all ongoing medications during the physician visits would ensure reduction in medication errors, thus avoiding adverse events, reducing uncalled for mortalities and morbidities and healthcare cost.