Gastric Obstruction by Opium Packets: A Case Report

Background: We reported a case of gastric obstruction in a body packer who swallowed a large number of opium packets. Case Report: A 36-year-old man opium addict visited the emergency department with epigastric pain for three days. He swallowed nearly 90 packets of opium for smuggling purposes four...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yeganeh Ramazani, Ahmad Nemati, Mohammad Moshiri, Mohammad Reza Motie, Hamid Jomehpour, Leila Etemad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Kerman University of Medical Sciences 2023-10-01
Series:Addiction and Health
Online Access:https://ahj.kmu.ac.ir/article_92118_19cad6be62140aeb483eafd51b463b2d.pdf
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Summary:Background: We reported a case of gastric obstruction in a body packer who swallowed a large number of opium packets. Case Report: A 36-year-old man opium addict visited the emergency department with epigastric pain for three days. He swallowed nearly 90 packets of opium for smuggling purposes four days earlier. He self-administered laxatives. In contrast, many times vomiting, he defecated only four packets and vomited one packet. The abdominal X-rays showed some amounts of fluid-air levels and multiple cylindrical opacities with the double-condom sign, corresponding to the distended stomach. Due to the worsening of his abdominal symptoms, he underwent an urgent laparotomy and 84 packets (4-6 cm in size and 8-10 g/ packet of opium) with a total weight of 870 g. They were wrapped in some layers of plastic and tied at the ends. He was discharged in stable condition. Conclusion: A large number of ingested drug packets can induce gastrointestinal obstruction.
ISSN:2008-4633
2008-8469