[Acute poisoning with anticholinesterase carbamate pesticides: methomyl-lannate®].

The methomyl is increasingly involved in suicidal and autolytic attempts. Intoxication with carbamate (CM) compounds is still a frequent cause for admission in the Emergency department of the medical assistance center (MAC) in Tunis, Tunisia. The aim of this study was to describe the demographics, clinical features and hospital course of patients presenting with CM intoxication to the ED of MAC in Tunis, Tunisia. This was a retrospective study about 52 cases of acute poisoning by methomyl, compiled in the MAC from 1st January, 2009 to December 31, 2012. Intoxications were all oral, mostly intentional (33 cases: 65%) and in young patients (29 years old). Females outnumbered males by almost 2:1. The most frequent symptom was hypotension (41 cases: 80%), followed by miosis (39 cases: 75%), rhabdomyolysis (29 cases: 55%), vomiting (18 cases: 43%), bronchorrhea (14 cases: 27%), diarrhea (11 cases: 21%) and fasciculations (8 cases: 17%). Treatments included gastric lavage in 16 patients (32%), assisted ventilation in 8 cases (17%) and atropine in 44 patients (85%). Seven patients died during hospitalization. Pesticide poisoning is a significant public health problem and some preventive measures must be strictly enforced to limit this kind of intoxication.