This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Dawling, S. Articles by Widdop, B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Dawling, S. Articles by Widdop, B. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Fatal Lignocaine Poisoning: Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature

Poisons Unit, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK

R.J. Flanagan

Poisons Unit, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK

B. Widdop

Poisons Unit, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK

1 Two fatal cases of deliberate self-poisoning with lignocaine are reported, one by oral ingestion and one by intravenous injection. Post-mortem blood lignocaine concentrations were 40 and 53 mg/l, respectively.

2 Lignocaine self-poisoning is rare since no formulations for oral use other than gels are available. However, serious toxicity can follow the oral application or ingestion of such gels, especially in children and in the elderly. Fatalities due to accidental oral overdosage with 10-25 g of lignocaine in adults have also been reported.

3 The frequent incidental occurrence of lignocaine in specimens submitted for toxicological analysis should not exclude the possibility of poisoning with this compound.

Human & Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 8, No. 5, 389-392 (1989)
DOI: 10.1177/096032718900800512


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?