cipro, A-fib,Warfain

Dear Doctor,

Yesterday my fiance died at home alone in his chair.  Male 54. over-weight.  Non-smoker and non-drinker.  A kind loving heart. Only had one kidney.  Other one was removed due to cancer 10 years ago.  One month ago A-fib began and Warfain was started.  Dr did not seem to moniter the PT closely.

Four days ago fever, chills, shakes began.  Very tired and no energy.  Dr thought maybe urinary tract infection.  Treated him with Cipro 500mg x2 day.  Ex-strength Tylenol every four hours.  Told to come back if he needed to.  He had no insurance so he always thought twice before he made another trip to the doctors.

Fever would break in the day and return at night .  Chills and shaking would come on abutly. Sweating bad.  Last day the breathing would get labored at times.

Could Cipro have contributed to his fast death or could he have begun CHF?  I read that one should not take it with kidney disease and to be closely monitered if on Warfain.

No autopsey was done by his doctor or the medical examiner.  I am heartbroken and lost for words.  Why and how could this happen so quickly?

He and I live in different states so I was not there to help him call for help.  April 19 he came to me and ask my hand in marriage.  Please give your thought.
Thank you,
Mary Bopp

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

Hi Mary,

I am very sorry to hear about your recent loss.

With out an autopsy, cases like this are very difficult to say exactly what happened.  Ciprofloxacin does interact with the metabolism of warfarin and can increase the PT.  It needs more intensive monitoring that may require a dosage reduction.  There are also rare cases of ciprofloxacin causing dangerous arhythmias.  Unfortunately there is little that can be done now to tease out these possibilities.

It is important to keep in mind that it may have nothing to do with the Cipro as well.  It sounds like there were several other concurrent issues -- the possibility of a systemic infection, the history of cancer may increase his risk for pulmonary embolism, etc.

I wish there was more I could offer, but short of the autopsy,  I don't think you will ever know for sure.

Again, I am very sorry for your loss and recognize that no mere words can help ease your pain.

God Bless.

[Erik36]

I am very sorry to hear about your loss. May the Lord bless you during this time and always. An autopsy would be needed to sort things out. Maybe the doctor here can give you a few ideas of what may have happened.

Take care.

Erik

[marzeis]

Thank you Erik for caring.

[NBCT]

My thoughts and prayers are with you, even tears. I hope you are able to find the answers you need. God Bless.

[I'mallheart]

i am sorry wow so fast..sometimes just not sure what to do even the docs... like it says in the bible... life is a vaper. never know when its time to go.. i am sure he lived it to the fullest
my blessings are with you in this time of morning and loss
God Bless
Dave

[marzeis]

Thank you Dave and NBC T  for caring.  Johnny Bopp lived life and cared about all people.  I wonder if people can die from a broken heart....i think so.

[tickertock]

You have my deepest sympathy, may you be comforted in your time of sorrow and yes, many die of a broken heart much more often than is acknowledged.Once again my sincere condolences.

[marzeis]

Thank you for your gentleness and concern ,tickertoc.  I just maybe one of the broken heart souls.
mary

[pms_barbie]

God Bless you hun.  I am so sorry to hear of your loss.  I cant offer any advice on the medical stand point.  I just wanted you to know I will say a little prayer for you.

[Lesley998]

I am so sorry for your loss.

I was hospitalise in August 2000 with severe heart problems caused by taking Cipro.  This quinolone is known to act on the central nervous system, causing electrical problems an causing a long Q-T pattern.  I am not a doctor, and I am not saying this is what happened.  But I was a healthy 30 year old, with no previous symptoms until I took only three Cipro tablets.  I ended up in the ER, wired up to machines and told I was in heart failure.

check out the Quinolones Forum for more info.  Sorry, forgot the web address but do a google on quinolones, and it should come up.

[uptowngirl]

Hi Mary,

Sorry about your loss.  Your story touched my heart and gave me a fresh gratefulness for the people in my life.  Thank you!!!  You all are in my prayers.

I don't rightly know about your medical question and I'm looking forward to the Dr. response.  I HAVE had 3 kidney infections in my life, and one that was very severe, and I asked the DR. in the ER if I could use Cipro, because I had some at home and he said "No, it's not good for the kidneys, and we are admitting you overnight anyway hon".  That's all I know and this was about 7 years ago.

Anyway, I hope you recieve peace and closure in days to come.

Mary

[marzeis]

Dear pms barbie, lesley and uptown girl,

Thank you for your gentle kind caring.  Somehow the care helps.  I am interested in what the doctor has to say to.  I believe in my heart that the cipro played a big role in this tragedy.
mary
lost in VA

[marzeis]

Thank you for your kind words Doctor MJM.  

mary bopp

[Mantels]

Cipro is a very strong drug. It has cured millions of people for many years.
It was a blockbuster for many years.

[Paule]

Don't be so quick to blame the antibiotic.  I had the same "viral" syndrome three weeks ago.  Fever-as high as 104.5 for one whole week... the fever would break ("101" if you call that breaking) and I would go into chills/sweats.  Was originally put on a antibiotic quinolone (have been on Cipro many times in the past) because my doctor thought I had a UTI (sound familiar) and found blood in my urine...eventually figured out I didn't have a UTI and was told to go the emergency room 72 hours after starting the antibiotic (Levaquin).  The ER did a chest xray and bloodwork...my wbc's were very low (not uncommon in viral or flu infections).  If I'm in my 40's and almost did me in, I can imagine what it would do to someone with poor kidney function...by the way, my 73 y/o mother caught it and after 1.5 weeks called it the closest she came to death! I had my 3 week old baby and my wife leave the house asap once I came down with the fever...probably saved our newborn from serious illness.

We love blaming the healthcare system and maybe that provides some with relief to our grief or anger, but sometimes people just die because of disease...from a legal standpoint of the facts provided and a fairly good knowledge of case law (specific to Cipro too) there was no deviation to the standard of care.  Again, based on the facts provided.

[Linda123]

So sorry to hear of your tragic loss and my heart goes out to you.
Re Cipro - I took Ciproxin (UK), is that the same thing?, for a water infection, it gave me very bad indigestion and then my heart went weird, I got a strong extra beat every two minutes for a day and a half.
Thinking of you...
Linda

[Mantels]

Ciprofloxacin.