PURPOSE: To evaluate cardiac alterations secondary to exogenous intoxication by paraquat. METHODS: We performed analysis of clinical and laboratory data of 25 patients with acute paraquat poisoning admitted in our ICU from November 1983 to January 1991. RESULTS: There were purposeful overdoses in 24 cases (96%). The mortality rate was 56%. The lung involvement was 96%, renal was 92%, gastrointestinal tract was 72%, hepatic was 56%, and cardiac involvement was 40%. CONCLUSION: Cardiac involvement due to paraquat is frequent (40%). The clinical picture of this involvement has a wide spectrum, ranging from minimal changes in the ECG to acute and extensive myocardial necrosis.
PURPOSE: To evaluate cardiac alterations secondary to exogenous intoxication by paraquat. METHODS: We performed analysis of clinical and laboratory data of 25 patients with acute paraquatpoisoning admitted in our ICU from November 1983 to January 1991. RESULTS: There were purposeful overdoses in 24 cases (96%). The mortality rate was 56%. The lung involvement was 96%, renal was 92%, gastrointestinal tract was 72%, hepatic was 56%, and cardiac involvement was 40%. CONCLUSION: Cardiac involvement due to paraquat is frequent (40%). The clinical picture of this involvement has a wide spectrum, ranging from minimal changes in the ECG to acute and extensive myocardial necrosis.
Authors: Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira; Paula Guedes de Pinho; Liliana Santos; Helena Teixeira; Teresa Magalhães; Agostinho Santos; Maria de Lourdes Bastos; Fernando Remião; José Alberto Duarte; Félix Carvalho Journal: PLoS One Date: 2009-09-25 Impact factor: 3.240