Open AccessSevere iron intoxication treated with exchange transfusion
Author(s) -
M Carlsson,
Dina Cortes,
S Jepsen,
T Kanstrup
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
bmj case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.231
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1757-790X
DOI - 10.1136/bcr.01.2009.1445
Subject(s) - medicine , deferoxamine , gastric lavage , intensive care unit , pediatric intensive care unit , exchange transfusion , anesthesia , pediatrics , gastroenterology , surgery
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 µg/dl (244 µmol/l). The child was treated with exchange transfusion (ET; 52 ml/kg) and serum iron fell to 134 µg/dl (24 µmol/l). The patient made an uncomplicated recovery. ET should be considered in severe iron poisoning when standard therapy is inadequate.