A non-fatal oleander poisoning

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

The study presents a case of non-fatal poisoning with oleander blooms in a 47-year-old female, with emphasis on the importance of toxicological service in a clinical emergency. After repeated vomiting at home, the patient was admitted at the hospital with cardiac symptoms more than 18 h after the ingestion. Serum samples were assayed immunochemically for digitoxin-related compounds by electrochemiluminescent immunoassay, and using HPLC/MS/MS analysis for oleandrin, the main cardiac glycoside of Nerium oleander. Confirming the non-specific immunoassay results, which are often clinically over-interpreted, oleandrin was detected by HPLC/MS/MS in the serum sample in a concentration of 1.6 ng/ml upon admission. Comparison with previous reports indicates that single compound analysis only permits a toxicological assessment for oleander poisoning and results in the proposal to classify an oleandrin level between 1.0 and 2.0 ng/ml as toxic blood plasma/serum concentration.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)236-240
Number of pages5
JournalInternational journal of legal medicine
Volume119
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2005
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 21744441471
WOS 000230843600010
PubMed 15906057
ORCID /0000-0001-7049-186X/work/142239872
ORCID /0000-0003-1526-997X/work/142247206

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • HPLC/MS/MS, Immunoassay, Nerium oleander, Oleandrin, Poisoning