Severe iron intoxication treated with exchange transfusion.
An 18-month-old previous healthy girl who had ingested 442 mg elemental iron/kg was admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit. The child was treated with gastric lavage, whole bowel irrigation and intravenous deferoxamine. After 2 h of standard therapy serum iron had risen threefold to 1362 microg/dl (244 micromol/l). The child was treated with exchange transfusion (ET; 52 ml/kg) and serum iron fell to 134 microg/dl (24 micromol/l). The patient made an uncomplicated recovery. ET should be considered in severe iron poisoning when standard therapy is inadequate.
Carlsson
M
M
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Afdeling V, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000 Odense C., Denmark. marcelacarlsson@yahoo.dk
Cortes
D
D
Jepsen
S
S
Kanstrup
T
T
D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods; D003676:Deferoxamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005078:Exchange Transfusion, Whole Blood / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning*; D017262:Siderophores / Q000627:therapeutic use
D017262:Siderophores; D007501:Iron; D003676:Deferoxamine