Clinical toxicology : the official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology and European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists
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Clin Toxicol (Phila) · Nov 2011
Partition constant and volume of distribution as predictors of clinical efficacy of lipid rescue for toxicological emergencies.
Lipid infusion is useful in reversing cardiac toxicity of local anesthetics, and recent reports indicate it may be useful in resuscitation from toxicity induced by a variety of other drugs. While the mechanism behind the utility of lipid rescue remains to be fully elucidated, the predominant effect appears to be creation of a "lipid sink". ⋯ The lipid partition constant and volume of distribution can likely be used to predict the efficacy of lipid infusion in reversing the cardiac toxicity induced by anesthetics or other medications.
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Clin Toxicol (Phila) · Oct 2011
ReviewEarlier recognition of nephrotoxicity using novel biomarkers of acute kidney injury.
A broad range of drugs and chemicals are capable of evoking acute kidney injury, which is conventionally determined by rising serum creatinine concentrations. However there are important limitations to this approach, and there has been interest in alternative biomarkers that might provide a more sensitive and rapid means of detecting acute kidney injury. Most of the available clinical data have thus far been ascertained in patients requiring critical care or with acute sepsis. However, if a sensitive indicator of acute kidney injury were developed, then this could provide a significantly improved means of detecting the effects of acute drug or toxin exposure. ⋯ Novel biomarkers appear capable of offering a more sensitive means of detecting acute kidney injury than existing approaches. Certain of these allow discrimination between the various mechanisms and anatomical site of acute injury. Ultimately, clinical assessment might incorporate a panel of different biomarkers, each informing on the integrated aspects of glomerular, tubular and interstitial function. Presence of biomarkers may in some cases detect mild or transient renal dysfunction that is presently undetected, and the clinical relevance needs further exploration. Whilst many potentially useful biomarkers have been proposed, comparatively few clinical data exist to support their validity in routine practice. Further prospective clinical studies are required to examine the validity of biomarkers after acute drug or toxin exposure, and to establish whether they might offer improved clinical outcomes in the setting of clinical toxicology.
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Novel synthetic 'designer' drugs with stimulant, ecstasy-like (entactogenic) and/or hallucinogenic properties have become increasingly popular among recreational drug users in recent years. The substances used change frequently in response to market trends and legislative controls and it is an important challenge for poisons centres and clinical toxicologists to remain updated on the pharmacological and toxicological effects of these emerging agents. ⋯ There are limited reliable data to guide clinicians managing patients with toxicity due to these substances. The harms associated with emerging recreational drugs are not fully documented, although it is clear that they are not without risk. Management of users with acute toxic effects is pragmatic and primarily extrapolated from experience with longer established stimulant or hallucinogenic drugs such as amfetamines, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamfetamine (MDMA) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
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Clin Toxicol (Phila) · Oct 2011
Case ReportsSevere toxicity following synthetic cannabinoid ingestion.
To report a case of seizures and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) following confirmed synthetic cannabinoid ingestion. ⋯ Ingestion of JWH-018 can produce seizures and tachyarrhythmias. Clinicians, lawmakers, and the general public need to be aware of the potential for toxicity associated with synthetic cannabinoid use.
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Clin Toxicol (Phila) · Oct 2011
Case ReportsSuccessful treatment of methemoglobinemia and acute renal failure after indoxacarb poisoning.
We report a case of systemic toxicity induced by indoxacarb, an oxadiazine insecticide. Previous reports have suggested the occurrence of methemoglobinemia after indoxacarb ingestion, but no case of indoxacarb-induced systemic toxicity, such as acute renal failure, has been reported thus far. ⋯ Ingestion of indoxacarb may produce not only methemoglobinemia, but also systemic toxicities like acute renal failure, which can be successfully treated with aggressive therapy such as continuous veno-venous hemofiltration. Physicians should be alert to acute renal failure as a possible complication of indoxacarb ingestion, and treat it accordingly.