title: Charcoal hemoperfusion in an infant with supraventricular tachycardia and seizures secondary to amitriptyline intoxication.
abstract: Tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) overdose is one of the common causes of drug poisoning and it has cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological side effects. An 18-month male infant was admitted to our pediatric emergency service due to poisoning with amitriptyline. The infant was unconscious. Tachycardia, irregular and shallow breathing, and tonic-clonic seizures were observed on physical examination. An electrocardiogram displayed a narrow complex tachycardia that was consistent with re-entrant supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Although antiarrhythmic and anticonvulsive agents were administrated, SVT and seizures persisted. Charcoal hemoperfusion (HP) was performed for 4 hours. The infant's clinical condition has improved after the charcoal HP, seizures and SVT were not observed. It is concluded that charcoal HP can be used efficiently in patients with severe amitriptyline intoxication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mutlu
authors.forename: Gülay
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karagüzel
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bahat
authors.forename: Ayşe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.forename: Burcu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Güven
authors.forename: Beril
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dilber
authors.forename: Embiya
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dilber
mesh_terms: D000639:Amitriptyline / Q000633:toxicity*; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D002606:Charcoal; D006464:Hemoperfusion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D002606:Charcoal; D000639:Amitriptyline