Amphotericin B formulation confusion and mortality in an HIV-seropositive patient

Amphotericin B (AmB) is commonly used in patients with a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive diagnosis for the treatment of disseminated fungal infections such as Histoplasma spp. or Cryptococcus spp. Newer liposomal formulations of AmB have been introduced to the market to avoid the toxic effects of the traditional agent. With the introduction of these new agents, there is a risk of confusion between the agents in regards to dosing, which may lead to toxicity. We report the case of an HIV-seropositive patient who inadvertently received five times the dose of AmB deoxycholate for disseminated Histoplasma capsulatum and died.