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Cardiogenic shock in a 28-year-old woman associated with sibutramine use

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Abstract

A 28-year-old woman collapsed in her home, and her companion rushed to call emergency services. Upon arrival, a physician performed CPR and endotracheal intubation, successfully restoring her voluntary heart rhythm. However, while en route to the hospital, ventricular fibrillation recurred. Despite the restoration of her voluntary rhythm through electrical defibrillation, she remained in a comatose state, which eventually led to multiple organ failures. Family members revealed that she had a 2-month history of taking diet pills. Histological examination revealed cardiomyocyte necrosis, contraction band necrosis, interstitial hemorrhage, collagen deposition, interstitial fiber proliferation, and myofiber remodeling. Analysis of blood and urine using GC–MS and LC–MS detected sibutramine and its primary metabolites, M1 and M2, which were consistent with the composition of the medication she was taking. The deceased was in good health with no underlying heart disease. The above information confirmed that the cause of her death was sibutramine.

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Author notes

  1. Ronghui Wan Huaxiong Song and Guoqiang Qu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, People’s Republic of China

    Ronghui Wan, Huaxiong Song, Liang Ren, Qishuo Tian, Yunyun Wang & Liang Liu

  2. Hubei Chongxin Judicial Expertise Center, F1-2, Zone B, Huazhong International Industrial Park, Yangluo Development Zone, Xinzhou District, Wuhan, 430415, Hubei, China

    Guoqiang Qu & Xiaowei Zhou

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  1. Ronghui Wan
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Correspondence to Yunyun Wang or Liang Liu.

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Wan, R., Song, H., Qu, G. et al. Cardiogenic shock in a 28-year-old woman associated with sibutramine use. Int J Legal Med 138, 833–838 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-023-03147-2

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