Life-threatening hyperkalaemia in an elderly patient receiving captopril, furosemide (frusemide) and potassium supplements.

An elderly patient with congestive heart failure developed serious hyperkalaemia and reversible nonoliguric renal failure during combined therapy with captopril, furosemide (frusemide) and potassium supplements. This case illustrates that such complications can occur late during the course of treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. It is therefore important that both the renal function and plasma potassium are closely monitored in such patients even if these parameters are normal at the beginning of therapy.