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Successful Treatment of Suicide Attempt by Megadose of Propafenone and Captopril

Abstract

Intoxication caused by propafenone is very rare, and there is no case reported before propafenone and captopril intoxication together. There are few case reports in the literature about intoxication with more than 6 g of propafenone. We present the clinical manifestation and successfully treatment of 9 g of propafenone and 1 g captopril intoxication in an 18-year-old female. An 18-year-old female was brought to the emergency department approximately half an hour after she committed suicide with 30 propafenone tablets, 300 mg each, and 20 captopril tablets, 50 mg each. Her fist electrocardiography (ECG) shows a chaotic ventricular rhythm with a prolonged QRS complex. After fluid and sodium bicarbonate infusion and permanent pacemaker implantation, sinus rhythm was achieved. This case, to our knowledge, is the first in that it describes the successful recovery of a patient who ingested extensively large doses of propafenone (9 g) and captopril (1 g), both of which are known to have severe cardiac side effects.

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Correspondence to Ahmet Yilmaz.

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Avci, A., Yilmaz, A., Celik, M. et al. Successful Treatment of Suicide Attempt by Megadose of Propafenone and Captopril. Cardiovasc Toxicol 13, 230–233 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12012-013-9201-7

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Keywords

  • Propafenone
  • Captopril
  • Poisoning
  • Suicide attempt