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Aluminum phosphide (ALP) is used commercially as an agricultural rodenticide/insecticide under various names in Indian subcontinent. Unfortunately, it has become a drug of choice among young adults for the purposes of suicide, especially in northern India, with very high mortality rates. When consumed orally it rapidly interacts with water and hydrochloric acid in the stomach to release phosphene gas, which is absorbed in the blood within 10–15 min. Therefore, if the victim her/himself does not vomit out the pills, the oral therapies administered in the emergency rooms to remove the toxic agent from the gastrointestinal tract are ineffective in majority of the cases. The dissolved phosphene gas in the circulation is distributed rapidly throughout the body and interacts at the cellular level with the mitochondria to inhibit oxidative phosphorylation in the multiple organs, especially the heart, lung, liver, and kidneys, within an hour. Therefore, by the time the victims arrive at the hospital (which in the present series was 7–8 h), the toxic effects on the organ systems are well established. Even if such patients are brought within an hour of ingestion of ALP pills, necessary antidote may not be available to neutralize the phosphene gas in the body, and all medical measures are aimed at supportive care in almost all cases, until the toxin is cleared via lungs and kidneys. If the patient survives, the cellular function returns to normal over the following five to seven days. The major factor in mortality from acute ALP poisoning is the progressive development of severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, circulatory collapse, respiratory gas exchange impairment with development of systemic hypotension and metabolic acidosis. The reported variations in the mortality in various case reports may depend upon the level of cardiovascular and respiratory impairment in individual cases. In patients with milder degree of shock, supportive measures including fluids, ionotropic support, and intra-aortic balloon pump may help the patient survive until the phosphene toxin is cleared. However according to the available data, the mortality approaches 100% in patients with severe shock. As the LV dysfunction and respiratory impairment in patients with ALP poisoning are potentially reversible within 5–7 days,

ECMO: A ray of hope for young suicide victims with acute aluminum phosphide poisoning and shock