Acute arsenic self-poisoning for suicidal purpose in a dentist: A case report
Date
2009-01
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sage Publications
Abstract
Arsenic is a classical poison that has been historically used since ancient times for homicidal purposes. More recently, episodes of deliberate or unintentional arsenic self-poisoning have been increasingly reported. We describe here a case of a 77-year old male patient with a history of major depression, who attempted suicide by ingestion of 4 g of arsenic trioxide. The man, a dentist by profession, used arsenic preparations for pulp devitalization. The patient was admitted to our hospital 5 h after arsenic ingestion with nausea and vomiting. Plain radiograph of the abdomen showed radio-opaque material in the stomach and small intestine. Nasogastric lavage, activated charcoal, and chelators; were used to remove arsenic. On day 3, endoscopy disclosed the presence of gastritis and superficial ulcers. The patient developed significant anemia (Hb: 8.7 g/dL on day 7) without significant signs of hemolysis. He gradually recovered from anemia within 5 months. The patient did not suffer any adverse outcome in spite of having ingesting 4 g of arsenic, approximately 20 times the lethal dose.
Description
Keywords
Arsenic, Self-poisoning, Suicide, Trioxide, Toxicology
Citation
Yılmaz, Y. vd. (2009). "Acute arsenic self-poisoning for suicidal purpose in a dentist: A case report". Human and Experimental Toxicology, 28(1), 63-65.