Citation

Sahoo D, Kujur ST, Das DS, Dey A, Devi S. Cureus 2020; 12(9): e10237.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Curēus)

DOI

10.7759/cureus.10237

PMID

33042678

PMCID

PMC7535943

Abstract

Poisoning is one of the more conventional modes of suicide in some parts of India. Aluminium phosphide (ALP) is a chemical used for this purpose and manifests severe cardiovascular complications, such as hypotension, shock, various arrhythmias, congestive heart failure with toxic myocarditis, and in rare cases, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction or other electrocardiogram changes. Upon contact with moisture, ALP yields phosphine gas, a toxic systemic poison found in pesticides that can lead to cardiovascular-related mortality. We present a case of ALP poisoning in a 60-year-old woman who was asymptomatic for the first 48 hours. She gradually developed cardiac complications in the form of anteroseptal acute myocardial infarction (AMI). As AMI is very rare among the various cardiac complications, an early vigilance is necessary to prevent further complications in ALP poisoning.

Language: en

Keywords

aluminium phosphide; phosphene gas; regional wall motion abnormalities; rodenticide; suicide