Assessment of Serum Magnesium Level in Congestive Heart Failure Patients Treated with Frusemide

Electrolyte balance has been regarded as an important factor to cardiovascular stability, particularly in congestive heart failure. However, electrolyte disturbances are common in patients with congestive heart failure especially during long term treatments. Unlike potassium, little is known of how magnesium is affected in these patients. Aim of the Work: To assess the serum magnesium level in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients treated with frusemide and to describe the electrocardiographic (ECG) changes with different serum magnesium patterns. Subjects and Methods: The study was carried out by means of data collection and analysis of clinical, biochemical, and ECG variables with respect to serum magnesium changes. The data were taken from patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Results: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, that was conducted in the outpatient, inpatient and cardiology care units of cardiology department in Suez Canal University teaching hospital, in the period from 1/4/2004 to 1/2/2005. In our study, (58) patients with CHF were included representing the designed sample size and fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria mentioned in the methodology. Conclusions: Hypermagnesemia was more prevalent in CHF patients treated with frusemide. According to our study, we found that hypermagnesemia patients had the following characteristics: Old age, female, increasing severity of CHF (functional class III-IV), nonsmokers, high frusemide maintenance dose, Hypernatremia and hyperkalemia, high dose of spironolactone, and high dose of digoxin.