Supraversión de la mirada en intoxicación mortal por bupropión / Sustained upgaze in a patient who ingested high doses of bupropion: report of one case

Upgaze or sustained elevation of the eyes, is an alteration of ocular motility initially described in hypoxic coma. We report a 65-year-old woman admitted with hypotension and alteration of sensorium due to the ingestion of 9.5 g of Bupropion. She presented two seizures of short duration, without epileptic activity on the EEG. She had a persistent asynchronous myoclonus in extremities, tachycardia and prolonged Q-t. She suffered a cardiac arrest caused by asystole, which recovered quickly in five minutes. At that moment, upgaze appeared, associated with a persistent ocular opening, which persisted for days, but finally disappeared, without remission of coma. A magnetic resonance imaging done at the eighth day, showed hyperintensity of the oval center and corpus callosum which disappeared in a new imaging study done 30 days later, where images of hypoxia in the basal nuclei and cortex appeared. The patient died forty seven days after admission. Up-gaze is an ominous oculomotor alteration linked to an important but incomplete damage in the cerebral cortex, a condition that perverts some sequences of the ocular opening, reversing the Bell phenomenon and producing eyelid retraction.

Coma blisters after poisoning caused by central nervous system depressants: case report including histopathological findings / Bolhas do coma pós-intoxicação por depressores do sistema nervoso central: relato de caso incluindo achados histopatológicos

Blister formation and eccrine sweat gland necrosis is a cutaneous manifestation associated with states of impaired consciousness, most frequently reported after overdoses of central nervous system depressants, particularly phenobarbital. The case of a 45-year-old woman who developed "coma blisters" at six distinct anatomic sites after confirmed (laboratory) phenobarbital poisoning, associated with other central nervous system depressants (clonazepam, promethazine, oxcarbazepine and quetiapine), is presented. A biopsy from the left thumb blister taken on day 4 revealed focal necrosis of the epidermis and necrosis of sweat gland epithelial cells; direct immunofluorescence was strongly positive for IgG in superficial blood vessel walls but negative for IgM, IgA, C3 and C1q. The patient was discharged on day 21 with no sequelae.

Formação de bolhas e necrose de glândula sudoríparas écrinas é uma manifestação cutânea associada com estados de diminuição da consciência, mais frequentemente relatada após superdosagens de depressores do sistema nervoso central, particularmente fenobabital. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente de 45 anos que desenvolveu "bolhas do coma" após tentativa de suicídio por fenobarbital (confirmada laboratorialmente), associada a outros depressores do sistema nervoso central (clonazepam, prometazina, oxcarbazepina e quetiapina). Biópsia da bolha do 1o quirodáctilo esquerdo no 4o dia de internação revelou necrose focal da epiderme e necrose de células epiteliais de glândula sudorípara; a imunofluorescência direta foi fortemente positiva para IgG na parede superficial dos vasos sanguíneos, mas negativa para IgM, IgA, C3 e C1q. A paciente teve alta no 21o dia, sem seqüelas.

Alprozolam poisoning.

We report a rare case of Alprazolam poisoning presented with coma and respiratory depression in a young girl with positive family history of suicidal attempts by her father, mother and sister. The Alprazolam was available in large amount in form of "Physicians Samples" as her elder sister was a medical representative. The patient was successfully managed.

Respiratory paralysis and coma in a case of severe organophosphorus poisoning

A patient with severe organophosphorus poisoning is reported. He had coma and prolonged respiratory paralysis lasting 4 weeks and was treated successfully with 2347 mg of atropine, artificial respiration and supportive measures

Hemodiálise e hemoperfusäo na intoxicaçäo barbitúrica / Hemodialysis and hemoperfusion in barbiturate intoxication

Apresenta-se a experiência adquirida entre janeiro de 1982 e julho de 1988 no tratamento depurador do coma barbitúrico. Nesse período, a UTI do HMARS atendeu a 52 pacientes em coma barbitúrico grau IV. Trinta e quatro pacientes foram submetidos à hemodiálise (HD) e 18 à hemoperfusäo em carväo (HP). Observou-se, tanto com a HD, como com a HP, recuperaçäo do coma em cerca de oito horas de tratamento. Os dois grupos de doentes permaneceram por período semelhante sob assistência ventilatória (HD= 4,4 dias e HP= 4,5 dias). O tempo de permanência na UTI também näo diferiu (HD= 5,6 dias e HP = 6,5 dias). A mortalidade global foi de 15% e näo houve diferença significativa entre os dois grupos. Concluiu-se que a utilizaçäo de depuraçäo artificial pode ser benéfica no coma barbitúrico grau IV, por reduzir período de coma arreativo e assim diminuir o risco de complicaçöes pulmonares. A HD mostrou-se täo eficiente quanto a HP, com a vantagem de ser procedimento muito mais barato

Coma hipoglucémico y convulsiones por ingestión de alcohol etílico / Hypoglycemic coma and convulsions due to ingestion of ethyl alcohol

Se realiza una somera reseña con referencia a la literatura sobre el tema. Se informa un caso de coma hipoglucémico y convulsiones en una niña de 4 años de edad, secundario a ingestiíon de bebida alcohólica, quien se recobra totalmente luego de una inyección intravenosa de solución glucosada hipertónica. Se hacen algunas reflexiones sobre el planteo diagnóstico. Se menciona el posible mecanismo fisiopatológico de la hipoglucemia en esta intoxicación. Se pone énfasis en la omisión de la intoxicación por alcohol como posible causa de convulsiones en los tratados de Pediatría. Se efectúan consideraciones con referencia al tratamiento, llamando la atención sobre la necesidad de determinar inmediatamente la glucemia, aconsejando la inyección intravenosa de solución glucosada hipertónica al 50 por ciento, aún antes de conocer el resultado de la misma.