[Nicardipine induced hypoxia: role of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction]

Abstract

Nicardipine is a commonly used anti-hypertensive drug for acute situations. We report the case of a 55-year-old man with hypoxemic pneumonia, who presented a worsening of his hypoxia secondary to the injection of this calcium channel inhibitor (CCI). This side effect was probably caused by inhibition of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. Effects of CCI on pulmonary vessels are well-known. They don't induce clinically relevant hypoxemia in patients without acute pulmonary pathology. This case report shows that nicardipine can severely worsen haematosis of patients with acute hypoxia. CCI should probably not be used in such patients.