Camphor toxicity: development of a triage strategy.
Kata kunci
Abstrak
Camphor remains in over 950 products listed in Poisindex. To provide triage guidelines for gastric decontamination and referral, we reviewed all camphor ingestions estimated to be 2 mg/kg or greater reported to U. VA (1980-83) and to M.C.V. (1982-83). Seventy-three patients (90%) remained asymptomatic, 3 (4%) developed minor symptoms, and 5 (6%), all ingesting over 59 mg/kg, developed major symptoms. There were no deaths. (table; see text) A literature review of 63 evaluable cases revealed 6 deaths; the mean fatal dose was 199 mg/kg (range 64-570, median 113). Based on these data, we manage asymptomatic patients ingesting camphor at less than 10 mg/kg by observation only 10-30 mg/kg at home with 1 g/kg activated charcoal or emesis, and over 30 mg/kg by gastric decontamination plus referral.