"Bath Salts" intoxication with multiorgan failure and left-sided ischemic colitis: a case report

In the recent years, a new group of designer drugs, under the brand name of bath salts has emerged as a new trend. They are mainly b-ketone amphetamine analogs and are derivatives of cathinone, a monoamine alkaloid. They are abused for psychostimulant effects. Their primary ingredient 3,4-methylened...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHippokratia Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 363 - 365
Main Authors Gavriilidis, G, Kyriakoudi, A, Tiniakos, D, Rovina, N, Koutsoukou, A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Greece SOCIETY OF "FRIENDS OF HIPPOKRATIA JOURNAL" 01.01.2015
Subjects
Case Report
MDPV
bath salts
3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone
multi-organ failure
Ischemic colitis
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Summary:In the recent years, a new group of designer drugs, under the brand name of bath salts has emerged as a new trend. They are mainly b-ketone amphetamine analogs and are derivatives of cathinone, a monoamine alkaloid. They are abused for psychostimulant effects. Their primary ingredient 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), has alerted authorities worldwide due to its severe physiological and behavioral toxicities. Description of Case:We present the case of a 47-year-old man with coma, seizures, multi-organ failure and ischemic colitis after intoxication with bath salts containing MDPV. After supportive care, he had a successful outcome. To our knowledge, this report is the first to describe ischemic colitis after MDPV intoxication. Clinicians need to be especially alert since MDPV is not detected by routine screens, and its overdose can be life-threatening. Ischemic colitis should be recognized as a potential complication of bath salts ingestion in order to prevent unnecessary interventions, such as diagnostic laparotomy, which could worsen patient's condition. Hippokratia 2015; 19 (4): 363-365.
ISSN:1108-4189
1790-8019