Flurazepam overdose*
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Flurazepam overdose· Adult respiratory distress syndrome?: first report A fernale (aged 6Q years) presented with grade III coma and very high plasma concentrati ons of flurazepam, desalkylflurazepam and trichloroethanol. She did not respond to initial tr eatm en t with IV naloxone 2mg so gastric lavage was pe rf ormed and colloidal solutions were given fo r hypotension which developed after admissi on . Crystalloid Infusions (60-1 25 ml/hour) and ampIcIlli n 500mg qid were also g iven and 65 hours after her admission she had recovered consciousness and her speech was coherent. At this time she developed respiratory distress and non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema was revealed. The distress was of sufficient severity for her to require 4 days of artificial vent il ation . She then resumed breathIng spontaneously, but suffered a left hemiplegia following a brief episode of hypotensi on which delayed her recovery. Adult respiratory d istress syndrome supposedly deve lops after drug overdose when the damaged pulmonary capillary endothelium becomes more permeable with re sulti ng oedema. Doctors should add flu ra zepam to the list of drugs which may produce this syndrome if taken in excess. Stringer. M 0 Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 18' 1415 (Jan 1985)
Transcript of Flurazepam overdose*
Flurazepam overdose· Adult respiratory distress syndrome?: first report
A fernale (aged 6Q years) presented with grade III coma and very high plasma concentrations of flurazepam, desalkylflurazepam and trichloroethanol. She did not respond to initial treatment with IV naloxone 2mg so gastric lavage was performed and colloidal solutions were given for hypotension which developed after admission. Crystalloid Infusions (60-1 25 ml/hour) and ampIcIllin 500mg qid were also g iven and 65 hours after her admission she had recovered consciousness and her speech was coherent. At this time she developed respiratory distress and non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema was revealed. The distress was of sufficient severi ty for her to require 4 days of artificial ven tilation . She then resumed breathIng spontaneously, but suffered a left hemiplegia following a brief episode of hypotension which delayed her recovery.
Adult respiratory distress syndrome supposedly develops after drug overdose when the damaged pu lmonary capillary endothelium becomes more permeable with resulting oedema. Doctors should add flu razepam to the list of drugs which may produce this syndrome if taken in excess. Stringer. M 0 Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 18' 1415 (Jan 1985)
