LETHAL SUICIDAL INTOXICATION WITH PROPAFENONE, AFTER A HISTORY OF SELF-INFLICTED INJURIES

Report of a suicidal mono-intoxication with the class IC antiarrythmic drug propafenone. A 20-year-old female physician's assistant secretly ingested the substance (presumably 20 tablets per 300 mg) about 4-6 h before her death, and in the interim remained under the supervision o f her physician. An ECG taken about 1/2-2 h after ingestion showed wid ening of the QRS complex and signs of an acute load of the right ventr icle; the clinical symptoms were nausea, vomiting and hypotonia. After about 4 h without serious symptoms acute loss of consciousness and ca rdiac failure occurred, resuscitation efforts remained unsuccessful. A t autopsy propafenone was found in blood (12 mu g ml(-1)), liver (60 m u g g(-1)) and cardiac muscle (11 mu g g(-1)). (C) 1997 Elsevier Scien ce Ireland Ltd.