BACKGROUND: The use of competitive inhibitors of acetylcholine other than atropine, for patients with organophosphate poisoning is controversial. Because scopolamine ability to cross the blood-brain barrier is better than that of atropine, it has been suggested that it should be used in patients with organophosphate poisoning who have central nervous system manifestations. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 17-year-old girl was admitted to the pediatric ward after ingesting chlorpyrifos as a suicidal attempt. She reported vomiting three times. She had no other symptoms for 12 hours and then over the course of 36 hours gradually developed extrapyramidal signs and became comatose. She was treated with intravenous scopolamine. Within 3 minutes the patient started to respond to verbal commands and answered simple questions rigidity subsided, and she was able to sit in bed. She was discharged after 4 days with no neurological sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest, that in patients with organophosphate poisoning who have mainly central nervous system toxicity scopolamine administration might be considered.
BACKGROUND: The use of competitive inhibitors of acetylcholine other than atropine, for patients with organophosphatepoisoning is controversial. Because scopolamine ability to cross the blood-brain barrier is better than that of atropine, it has been suggested that it should be used in patients with organophosphatepoisoning who have central nervous system manifestations. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 17-year-old girl was admitted to the pediatric ward after ingesting chlorpyrifos as a suicidal attempt. She reported vomiting three times. She had no other symptoms for 12 hours and then over the course of 36 hours gradually developed extrapyramidal signs and became comatose. She was treated with intravenous scopolamine. Within 3 minutes the patient started to respond to verbal commands and answered simple questions rigidity subsided, and she was able to sit in bed. She was discharged after 4 days with no neurological sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest, that in patients with organophosphatepoisoning who have mainly central nervous system toxicityscopolamine administration might be considered.