A case of barbiturate poisoning with a readily-accessible laboratory reagent.
We report a patient with barbiturate intoxication due to surreptitious ingestion of barbital buffer from a clinical laboratory. Although detected in the urine toxicology screening test using an immunologic technique, this agent was not recognized in the more specific serum analysis done by gas-liquid chromatography. Barbital buffer is an effective long-acting sedative-hypnotic and is widely available from the laboratory shelf. It may not be reported by very specific analytical methods.
Rodichok
L D
LD
Pennsylvania State University, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey 17033.
D000328:Adult; D001462:Barbital / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning* / Q000652:urine; D002021:Buffers; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008297:Male
D002021:Buffers; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D001462:Barbital