It could have happened to Van Gogh: a case of fatal purple foxglove poisoning and review of the literature

Although death owing to the toxic effects of the therapeutic Digitalis lanata extract, digoxin has been reported, there are no reported cases of fatal Digitalis purpurea (digitoxin) plant intoxication in humans in the literature. We describe a case of ingestion of Digitalis purpurea in a 64-year-old...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEuropean journal of emergency medicine Vol. 14; no. 6; p. 356
Main Authors Ramlakhan, Shammi L, Fletcher, Alan K
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.12.2007
Subjects
Atropine - therapeutic use
Cardiac Pacing, Artificial
Charcoal - therapeutic use
Digitalis - poisoning
Digoxin - blood
Famous Persons
Fatal Outcome
Humans
Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments - therapeutic use
Male
Middle Aged
Plant Poisoning - diagnosis
Plant Poisoning - drug therapy
Suicide
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Summary:Although death owing to the toxic effects of the therapeutic Digitalis lanata extract, digoxin has been reported, there are no reported cases of fatal Digitalis purpurea (digitoxin) plant intoxication in humans in the literature. We describe a case of ingestion of Digitalis purpurea in a 64-year-old man, which was fatal despite administration of Digibind. A review of the literature and aspects of management of plant digitalis poisoning are discussed.
ISSN:0969-9546
DOI:10.1097/MEJ.0b013e3280bef8dc