Management of Calcium Channel Antagonist Overdose with Hyperinsulinemia-Euglycemia Therapy: Case Series and Review of the Literature

Copyright © 2012 Shiwan K. Shah et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Calcium channel antagonists (CCAs) are commonly involved in drug overdoses. Standard approaches to the management of CCA overdoses, including fluid resuscitation, gut decontamination, administration of calcium, glucagon, and atropine, as well as supportive care, are often ineffective. We report on two patients who improved after addition of hyperinsulinemia-euglycemia (HIE) therapy.We conclude with a literature review on hyperinsulinemia-euglycemia therapy with an exploration of the physiology behind its potential use. 1