title: Usefulness of serum concentration measurement for acute pentobarbital intoxication in patients.
abstract: Toxicokinetic parameters were analyzed in 25 patients who were acutely intoxicated with pentobarbital. The serum pentobarbital concentrations were at hypnotic / therapeutic levels (1- 10 microg/mL) in 11 patients, at toxic levels (10-24 microg/mL) in 10 patients, and at lethal levels (>24 microg/mL) in 4 patients. One fatal case was encountered with a serum pentobarbital concentration of 37.27 microg/ mL. The relationships between serum pentobarbital concentrations and the drug, the induced toxic symptoms, such as respiratory / cardiac depression and hypotension, were in good correlation. The therapy of direct hemoperfusion carried out for many pentobarbital-intoxicated patients was highly effective.
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Center Hospital, East Pharmacy Divison.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Ryoh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Takemi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kikuno
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006464:Hemoperfusion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000097:blood* / Q000506:poisoning*; D012119:Respiration; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013599:Systole
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010424:Pentobarbital