Successful use of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest due to amitriptyline and venlafaxine intoxication.

The prognosis of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to intoxication is dismal. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are widely used in the treatment of depression, but possess significant cardiotoxicity, and are one of the most common medications used in suicide attempts worldwide. TCA poisoning can cause hypotension, seizures, and cardiac conduction disturbances, which can lead to life-threatening arrhythmia. Current guidelines recommend mild therapeutic hypothermia (TH) for unconscious survivors of OHCA, but hypothermia treatment itself can cause disturbances in cardiac conduction, which could aggravate the effect of TCAs on cardiac conduction. We report the successful use of TH in a 19-year-old woman who was resuscitated from ventricular tachycardia after intentional ingestion of amitriptyline and venlafaxine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. The cardiac arrest was witnessed, but no bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed. The initial rhythm was ventricular tachycardia with no detectable pulse. Three defibrillations, magnesium sulfate, and sodium bicarbonate were given and her trachea was intubated, after which return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved in 26 minutes. After ROSC, she had seizures and was sedated with propofol. Out-of-hospital TH was initiated with 1500 mL of cold Ringer's acetate. An infusion of norepinephrine was initiated for low blood pressure. On arrival at the university hospital, she was unconscious and had dilated pupils. She was tachycardic with a body temperature of 33.5°C. She was transferred to the intensive care unit and TH was maintained with invasive cooling. During the TH treatment, she did not experience any serious cardiac arrhythmia, transthoracic echocardiogram was normal, and the electrocardiogram (ECG) returned to normal. The patient was extubated 45 hours after the cardiac arrest. After the extubation, she was alert and cooperative, but slightly delusional. She was transferred to a ward on the third day and discharged from hospital on the sixth day of admission. Ambulatory psychiatric follow-up was organized. Neuropsychological examinations were later performed and she was estimated to be able to work at her previous job. This case report suggests that mild TH is safe even in case of intoxication with a drug known to cause serious cardiac conduction disturbances and arrhythmia.

Early molecular adsorbents recirculating system treatment of Amanita mushroom poisoning.

Acute poisoning due to ingestion of hepatotoxic Amanita sp. mushrooms can result in a spectrum of symptoms, from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to life-threatening acute liver failure. With conventional treatment, Amanita phalloides mushroom poisoning carries a substantial risk of mortality and many patients require liver transplantation. The molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) is an artificial liver support system that can partly compensate for the detoxifying function of the liver by removing albumin-bound and water-soluble toxins from blood. This treatment has been used in acute liver failure to enable native liver recovery and as a bridging treatment to liver transplantation. The aim of the study is to evaluate the outcome of 10 patients with Amanita mushroom poisoning who were treated with MARS. The study was a retrospectively analyzed case series. Ten adult patients with accidental Amanita poisoning of varying severity were treated in a liver disease specialized intensive care unit from 2001 to 2007. All patients received MARS treatment and standard medical therapy for mushroom poisoning. The demographic, laboratory, and clinical data from each patient were recorded upon admission. The one-year survival and need for liver transplantation were documented. The median times from mushroom ingestion to first-aid at a local hospital and to MARS treatment were 18 h (range 14-36 h) and 48 h (range 26-78 h), respectively. All 10 patients survived longer than one year. One patient underwent a successful liver transplantation. No serious adverse side-effects were observed with the MARS treatment. In conclusion, MARS treatment seems to offer a safe and effective treatment option in Amanita mushroom poisoning.