One of the great dreams of humanity has been the improvement of its behavioural, affective and emotional status. Depression represents the suffering of beings over their existential course, as a point of passage between the human condition and its destiny. The attempts of psychiatry to introduce efficient and increasingly performing antidepressants represent one of medicine’s great achievements. At the same time, antidepressant overdosing may lead to cardiotoxic manifestations presenting lethal risks as consequences [1]. We hereby present the case of a patient that was poisoned with tianeptine, ingested for suicidal purposes, who survived repetitive episodes of ventricular fibrillation, electrically converted to sinusal rhythm. The GC/MS analytical diagnosis played an essential part in detecting tianeptine in the biological samples. The rapid and very competent therapeutic intervention allowed for the patient’s survival, despite further complications. A review of main tianeptine information is also presented, as this type of intoxication may have deadly consequences.
Benzodiazepine overdose has various clinical manifestation, mainly regarding the central nervous system (CNS), cardiac and respiratory side effects, but rarely results in significant morbidity and mortality. Acute benzodiazepine poisoning results in dizziness, ataxia, nystagmus, dysarthria, hypoxia, hypothermia, bradycardia, hypotension, apnea, pulmonary aspiration, respiratory depression, coma, cardiopulmonary arrest and death. Anyway, deep nonresponsive coma should be investigated for additional etiologies. On the other hand, human transmissible prion disease has a fatal outcome with no specific treatment.
Mass spectrometry is a chemical analytical method of determining organic substances by comparing their mass spectrum with mass spectra found in system libraries. In the case of biological products, substances of interest, like organophosphorus compounds, must be separated and identified for rapid and good medical measures (antidotism procedures) in acute intoxication case. A gas chromatograph coupled with a Varian mass spectrometer (GC-MS), was used to develop the application. The proposed objective is presenting the medical applicability in acute organophosphorus compounds intoxication management of the GC/MS method (gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry) as a separation and identification method for these compounds and their metabolites in urine samples.
Mushroom poisoning is rarely associated with skin involvement. Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are life-threatening mucocutaneous reactions, characterized by extensive necrosis. SJS/TEN overlap includes patients with skin exfoliation between 10 to 30 percent of the body surface area. We report the case of a patient that was assumed to have ingested one type of toxic mushroom within the twelve hours prior to the appearance of skin lesions typical for SJS/TEN overlap syndrome.
Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), in its clinical spectrum, includes both deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). It is a disease with high incidence and morbidity in hospital and community settings. Venous thromboembolism has various risk factors and there are studies proving that the risk of increasing the incidence of the disease is proportional to the risk factors. Diagnosis, treatment and complications of lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) depend on the anatomical location and extent of the process. The post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is the most common complication of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and clinically it is characterized by chronic pain, edema, enlarged veins, skin induration and other signs of the affected limb, while, in severe cases, it can develop venous ulcers. The incidence of peripheral trophic disorders by age and the prevalence of risk factors for deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs were examined in this regard. Materials and method: A retrospective study (January 2013 - December 2015) was conducted by collecting data from medical documents available in "Floreasca" Emergency Hospital Bucharest, Romania. The patients diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, on the basis of Doppler ultrasound, were divided into two groups, according to age: group A (59 patients aged ≤50 years) and group B (130 patients aged> 50 years). A number of data from the medical anamnesis, along with clinical and paraclinical data were collected by us and we were interested in the incidence of peripheral trophic disorders caused by deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs correlated with the risk factors. The study showed the incidence of deep venous thrombosis in a certain age and a certain environment of origin. The incidence of patients who have had a VTE history is half the patients with deep vein thrombosis who have had prophylactic anticoagulant therapy before hospitalization. The incidence of patients who have had prophylactic anticoagulant therapy before hospitalization is 61.1% of the patients with deep vein thrombosis and a VTE history. The incidence of trophic disorders caused by deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs in patients who have had prophylactic anticoagulant therapy before hospitalization and in patients who also had a history of VTE is higher in those over 50 years old. The study showed the association of some risk factors for venous thrombosis with an age-related factor. Conclusions: Improving preventive strategies and an optimally efficient utilization of these strategies for patients at risk of venous thrombosis can lead to improved clinical outcomes in practice and also to the post-thrombotic syndrome prevention. Taking into consideration the risk factors by age group and a better understanding of epidemiology and the risk factors for the first or recurrent venous thrombosis can lead to optimal use of prophylactic strategies and improved quality of life. DVT affects all age groups and the incidence associated with PTS is high, therefore the prevalence of PTS in general population is considerable. 1 Sanitary Post High School “Fundeni”-Bucharest 2 Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest 3 Toxicology Clinic, “Floreasca” Emergency Hospital, Bucharest 4 Surgery Clinic, “Sf. Pantelimon” Emergency Hospital, Bucharest 5 Carol Davila University Emergency Military Hospital, Bucharest 37