Citation

Chaturvedi RK, Das S, Animesh K, Pathak M. Med. Legal Update 2009; 9(1): 9-11.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, R.K. Sharma and Institute of Medico-Legal Publications)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Acute poisoning, a common clinical emergency, is one of the important causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Whole range of complex poisons like medicines, occupational poisons, house hold poisons, chemical poisons in the form of pesticide used in farming, affect the population. Death may be either suicidal, accidental or homicidal. Sometimes people may die due to overdose of drug or even therapeutic dose of drug may end the valuable life. Usually doctors manage these patients on the basis of presumptive diagnosis that may be based on patients' relative statement or some circumstantial evidences of the event that took place. So this is very difficult for a doctor to predict and make specific management plan in accordance with poisons and drugs what the person has consumed? Toxicological detection by various analytical methods would be reliable in these cases. Analytical support is often necessary to confirm the diagnosis and management of poisoning cases1. Analytical toxicologist will play an important role in diagnosis of specific poisons and management of these patients. Only toxicologist who knows the basic skill in clinical domain and knowledge of different analytical methods of detection of specific poisons and drugs can help hospital wing for predicting the prognosis of the patients.

Language: en

Keywords

human; homicide; suicide; organophosphate; prognosis; mortality; forensic toxicology; prediction; intoxication; morbidity; article; neuroleptic agent; high performance liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; carbon monoxide; arsenic; paracetamol; sensitivity and specificity; gas chromatography; beta adrenergic receptor blocking agent; cyanide; theophylline; accidental death; spectrophotometry; thin layer chromatography; cholinergic receptor blocking agent; sedative agent; salicylic acid derivative; alcohol derivative; narcotic agent; lead; mercury; intermethod comparison; iron; immunoassay; ranitidine; legal evidence; oral antidiabetic agent; atomic absorption spectrometry