CONFIRMATION OF OLEANDER POISONING BY HPLC MS

A non-fatal case of Nerium oleander (common oleander) self-poisoning i n a 45-year-old female is presented. Initial symptoms were-nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, phosphenes, cardiovascular shock and sinus b radycardia, Blood and urine were assayed for oleandrin, the major card iac glycoside of N. oleander, using a highly specific HPLC/MS procedur e. The blood concentration of oleandrin at admission was 1.1 ng/ml. Th is is the first report of an oleander intoxication ascertained by the mass spectrometric identification of oleandrin in blood. HPLC/MS appea rs to be the method of choice for the forensic-toxicological investiga tion of poisonings by cardiac glycosides.