Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology
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High-dose insulin (HDI) and intravenous fat emulsion (IFE) are used in overdoses, although rarely combined. To our knowledge, IFE therapy has not been reported in overdoses of diltiazem, metoprolol and amiodarone. We report a severe overdose of these drugs treated with HDI and IFE in a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We also discuss the potential clinical implications of the inotropic effects of HDI in the setting of HCM and the use and efficacy of IFE in this overdose.
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A 13-month-old male who ingested 20 diphenhydramine (25 mg) tablets presented with seizures and ultimately progressed to status epilepticus and wide-complex tachycardia. Due to worsening clinical course, hemodialysis was performed with temporal resolution of his symptoms. Hemodialysis may be considered in critically ill diphenhydramine overdoses not responsive to conventional supportive care.
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Case Reports
Levamisole-induced occlusive necrotizing vasculitis of the ears after use of cocaine contaminated with levamisole.
Based on the best available data, approximately 2.1 million Americans use illicit cocaine each month; for the last several months, 30% of that cocaine has been "cut" with a veterinary pharmaceutical, levamisole. Levamisole can cause agranulocytosis, leaving patients susceptible to fulminate and opportunistic infections and also can cause a debilitating cutaneous necrotizing vasculitis. In this manuscript, we describe a case and provide an image of levamisole-induced necrotizing vasculitis of the ears.