1/5. Toad venom poisoning: resemblance to digoxin toxicity and therapeutic implications.A healthy man developed gastrointestinal symptoms after ingesting purported aphrodisiac pills. He had severe unrelenting bradycardia, hyperkalaemia, and acidosis. He rapidly developed severe life threatening cardiac arrhythmias and died after a few hours. He was found to have positive serum digoxin concentrations, although he was not taking digoxin. Toad venom poisoning is similar to digitalis toxicity and carries a high mortality. Cardiac glycoside poisoning can occur from ingestion of various plants and animal toxins, and the venom gland of cane toad (bufo marinus) contains large quantities of cardiac glycosides. Toad venom, a constituent of an aphrodisiac, was considered responsible for the development of clinical manifestations and death in this patient. digoxin specific Fab fragment has been reported to be beneficial in the treatment of toad venom poisoning. This report alerts physicians to the need to be aware of a new community toxic exposure, as prompt treatment with digoxin specific Fab fragment may be life saving. The treatment approach to patients with suspected toad venom poisoning is described.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = digitalis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/5. Foxglove tea poisoning.Herbal teas occasionally produce toxic reactions. Unwitting use of the foxglove plant for brewing tea resulted in cardiac glycoside toxicity in an otherwise healthy man. Potentially toxic plants are omnipresent whereas herbal tea imbibing has had an enhanced popularity. physicians will have increasing contact with patients who have inadvertently poisoned themselves with such concoctions.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 174.40718415585keywords = foxglove (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/5. Transitory complete atrioventricular block associated to ingestion of nerium oleander.BACKGROUND. Self-medication with plants can lead to severe poisoning. Oleander (nerium oleander) is an ornamental plant whose toxicity to man is due to a mixture of nondigitalis cardiac glycosides. The clinical manifestations of oleander poisoning combine cardiac and gastrointestinal symptoms, and are similar to those of a digitalis overdose. CASE REPORT. Following the ingestion of tea made of the leaves of oleander, a 33-year-old woman developed dizziness, vomiting and abdominal cramps as main symptoms, and complete atrioventricular block that reverted within 24 hours. She remained with bradycardia, dizziness and diarrhea for about 6 days. On admission she had a serum potassium of 6.7 mEq/L and a serum creatinine of 2.3 mg%, that progressively returned to normal levels. CONCLUSION. Clinicians must include oleander poisoning in the differential diagnosis of bradyarrhythmias, particularly in children and young people without known cardiovascular disease, in areas where this plant either is used as a herbal medicine or is known as poisonous.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = digitalis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/5. urginea maritima (squill) toxicity.A 55 year-old female ingested two bulbs of urginea maritime (squill) plant as a folk remedy for her arthritic pains. Her past history was significant for Hashimoto thyroiditis and she was hypothyroid upon presentation. Subsequent effects resembling those seen with cardiac glycoside intoxication included nausea, vomiting, seizures, hyperkalemia, atrioventricular block and ventricular arrhythmias resembling digitalis toxicity. A serum digoxin level by an enzyme immunoassay method was 1.59 ng/mL. Despite supportive treatment and pacing, the patient expired from ventricular arrhythmias 30 h after ingestion. Squill has been recognized since antiquity for the clinical toxicity of its cardiac glycosides, but this appears to be the first report of a fatality since 1966.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = digitalis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/5. A case of nondigitalis cardiac glycoside toxicity.A case is presented of cardiac glycoside poisoning in a 1-year-old patient from the plant nerium oleander (common oleander). The patient had bradycardia, vomiting, altered level of consciousness, and no history of ingestion. Antibody-based digoxin assays may cross-react with other cardiac glycosides nonquantitatively. Chromatographic techniques can be used in the specific diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4keywords = digitalis (Clic here for more details about this article) |