title: Charcoal hemoperfusion in the therapy for methsuximide and phenytoin overdose.
abstract: Two patients suffered overdoses of anticonvulsant drugs. The first patient took methsuximide and the second, phenytoin. Because of profound CNS depression, both patients underwent hemoperfusion with a cellulose-activated charcoal hemoperfusion column. The primary metabolite of methsuximide, N-desmethylmethsuximide, primarily was responsible for the CNS depression in the first patient. The clearance of N-desmethylmethsuximide by the charcoal column was high, and clinical improvement became apparent during the hemoperfusion period. The clearance of phenytoin, on the other hand, was much lower than that of N-desmethylmethsuximide, and there was no apparent clinical improvement in that patient's condition.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002606:Charcoal; D005260:Female; D006464:Hemoperfusion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010672:Phenytoin / Q000506:poisoning*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000628:therapy; D013388:Succinimides / Q000506:poisoning*
chemical_list: D013388:Succinimides; C100286:methsuximide; D002606:Charcoal; D010672:Phenytoin