Hyperkalemia Presenting as Sinus Bradycardia, Junctional Rhythm and Atrial Bigeminy

A Case Report on Uremic Toxins and Their Effects on Cardiac Rhythm: Understanding Junctional Ventricular Escape Rhythm in Renal Failure

Understanding the reasons behind junctional ventricular escape rhythm is crucial for guiding the clinical management of patients. Various factors such as acidosis, hyperkalemia, metabolic toxins, digoxin toxicity, and BRASH syndrome (comprising bradycardia, renal failure, atrioventricular (AV) nodal blockade, shock, and hyperkalemia) should be considered when dealing with a symptomatic unstable patient in a hospital. In this case, we present an example where metabolic toxins, specifically uremia, in combination with other factors, lead the patient to enter a ventricular escape rhythm, ultimately resulting in cardiogenic shock. The main objective of this case study is to illustrate how uremic metabolic acidosis contributes to AV nodal blockade, leading to a junctional ventricular escape rhythm within the context of BRASH.

A Case Report on BRASH (Bradycardia, Renal Failure, Atrioventricular Blockade, Shock, and Hyperkalaemia) Syndrome: A Challenging Diagnosis

A relatively new yet critical phenomenon of bradycardia, renal failure, atrioventricular (AV) blockade, shock, and hyperkalemia (BRASH) syndrome is hypothesized to happen in patients who take atrioventricular nodal blocking (AVNB) agents and have underlying renal insufficiency. In our case, a 67-year-old female with an extensive medical history presented to the emergency room with chief complaints of decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and left-sided atypical chest pain for the past two weeks. The patient was taking losartan potassium 50 mg daily in addition to carvedilol 6.25 mg twice daily for her hypertension (HTN) and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) with the addition of bumetanide 0.5 mg, which was added three weeks prior. On presentation, the patient had sinus bradycardia and hypotension along with the laboratory finding of acute kidney injury (AKI) in the setting of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hyperkalemia. Cardiology and nephrology were consulted emergently; her clinical scenario raised suspicion of the BRASH syndrome. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and all antihypertensive medications, including beta-blockers, were stopped. Intravenous (IV) fluid resuscitation and medical management of hyperkalemia were initiated, along with BiPAP for respiratory distress. She responded significantly, and her vitals remained stable. She was successfully discharged home with a cardiology and nephrology follow-up. We highlight the case to emphasize the consideration of BRASH in a patient on multiple cardiac medications who presented with deranged electrolytes and organ failure, and decompensated heart failure (HF) should not be fixed on as the principal diagnosis.

The BRASH syndrome, a synergistic arrhythmia phenomenon

BRASH syndrome is a relatively novel clinical entity with profound bradycardia secondary to simultaneous metabolic derangement and drug toxicity. The syndrome is a clinical pentad of bradycardia, acute kidney injury, use of atrioventricular nodal blocking agents, shock, and hyperkalemia. It is widely underrecognized with selectively few reports, mainly in the elderly population. We present a 43-year-old woman on two oral atrioventricular blocking agents who presented with 1 week of increasing lethargy with rapid deterioration into cardiac arrest with subsequent shock postresuscitation. She was found to have hyperkalemia, metabolic acidosis, and acute kidney injury on arrival. Her initial electrocardiogram was remarkable for sinus arrest and junctional bradycardia. She was treated with a temporary pacemaker, renal replacement therapy, and potassium-lowering agents, with subsequent improvement resulting in conversion to normal sinus rhythm.