CASE REPORTS
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Fatal unintentional overdose of diltiazem with antemortem and postmortem values.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic errors involving calcium channel antagonists (CCA) resulting in death rarely have been reported in detail. We report a fatality from an unintentional overdose of sustained-release (SR) diltiazem including antemortem and postmortem blood concentrations.

CASE REPORT: A 65-year-old man with aortic stenosis mistakenly took six tablets of diltiazem 360 mg SR. He developed symptoms of toxicity by 7 hours after ingestion. By 10 hours, he went to the emergency department. Despite a prolonged resuscitative attempt, the patient died 17 hours postingestion. An antemortem blood sample drawn 11.5 hours after ingestion was 2.9 mcg/mL. Postmortem gas chromatography of central blood revealed a diltiazem level of 6 mcg/mL and the peripheral blood sample measured 5 mcg/ mL.

CONCLUSION: This case suggests that an unintentional overdose with a CCA may be lethal if the patient's cardiovascular ability to compensate for the toxic effects is compromised.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app