Paraquat poisoning: Acute lung injury - a missed diagnosis

• Published in: South African medical journal Vol. 107; no. 5; pp. 399 - 401
• Main Authors: Ntshalintshali, Sipho D, Manzini, Thandekile C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: South Africa South African Medical Association 01.05.2017
• Subjects: Acute Lung Injury - chemically induced; Acute Lung Injury - diagnostic imaging; Adult; Diagnostic Errors; Disease Progression; Eating; Fatal Outcome; Herbicides - poisoning; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Lung injury; Male; Paraquat - poisoning; Paraquat toxicity; Pneumothorax - chemically induced; Pneumothorax - diagnostic imaging; Radiography, Thoracic; Radiological progression; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult - chemically induced; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult - diagnosis; South Africa; Suicide

Paraquat is a herbicide of great toxicological importance because it is associated with high mortality rates, mainly due to respiratory failure. We report the case of a 28-year-old man admitted to the casualty department at Ngwelezana Hospital, Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with a history...