FATAL ADVERSE EVENT SECONDARY TO HIGH-OSMOLALITY CONTRAST AGENT

Adverse drug events secondary to iodinated contrast agents are of part icular concern to all clinicians. Despite the availability of newer ag ents, the mortality rates remain unchanged. We describe a fatal advers e event secondary to use of the high osmolality agent isothalmate megl umine 30%. A 58-y-old healthy female with no previous history of drug or food allergy had cardiac arrest toward the end of the iv infusion o f the contrast agent during a CT scan. The patient expired despite agg ressive therapeutic measures.