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Katz KD, Koons A, Makar G, et al. Old and Cold: A Novel Case of Combined Secobarbital and Pentobarbital Poisoning in an Elderly Woman. Cureus. 2021;13(1):e12446doi: 10.7759/cureus.12446.
Katz, K. D., Koons, A., Makar, G., & Wier, A. (2021). Old and Cold: A Novel Case of Combined Secobarbital and Pentobarbital Poisoning in an Elderly Woman. Cureus, 13(1), e12446. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.12446
Katz, Kenneth D, et al. "Old and Cold: A Novel Case of Combined Secobarbital and Pentobarbital Poisoning in an Elderly Woman." Cureus vol. 13,1 (2021): e12446. doi: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.12446
Katz KD, Koons A, Makar G, Wier A. Old and Cold: A Novel Case of Combined Secobarbital and Pentobarbital Poisoning in an Elderly Woman. Cureus. 2021 Jan 03;13(1):e12446. doi: 10.7759/cureus.12446. PMID: 33552764; PMCID: PMC7854340.
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Cureus. 2021 Jan 03;13(1):e12446. doi: 10.7759/cureus.12446.

Old and Cold: A Novel Case of Combined Secobarbital and Pentobarbital Poisoning in an Elderly Woman.

Cureus

Kenneth D Katz, Andrew Koons, Gregory Makar, Amy Wier

Affiliations

  1. Emergency Medicine • Medical Toxicology, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine / Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, USA.
  2. Emergency Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine / Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, USA.

PMID: 33552764 PMCID: PMC7854340 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.12446

Abstract

A 94-year-old woman was found unresponsive in her room at an independent living facility. Upon paramedic arrival, the patient had a Glasgow Coma Scale of 3, and she was transported to the emergency department (ED). In the ED, she was unresponsive but spontaneously breathing, bradycardia, and hypothermia. Serum concentrations of both secobarbital (3.3µg/mL; therapeutic 1.0-2.0µg/mL) and pentobarbital (9.5µg/mL; therapeutic < 5.0µg/mL) were detected and elevated. This type of poisoning is quite rare and should be considered in patients presenting with hypothermia and coma, even in patients showing brain death signs. The use of hemodialysis for refractory pentobarbital poisoning may be helpful.

Copyright © 2021, Katz et al.

Keywords: barbiturate overdose; elderly patient; hypothermia; pentobarbital poisoning; secobarbital poisoning

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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