Medical error in treatment of Amanita phalloides poisoning in pre-hospital care
Abstract Background Geopolitical and climate changes form the background of the current migration crisis. It has many faces. One of them are the tragic cases of poisoning of refugees due to eating wild forest mushrooms for socioeconomic reasons in the Western and Northern European countries. The mos...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-022-01008-2 |
| _version_ | 1818321122551136256 |
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| author | Anna Smędra Katarzyna Wochna Dariusz Zawadzki Jarosław Berent |
| author_facet | Anna Smędra Katarzyna Wochna Dariusz Zawadzki Jarosław Berent |
| author_sort | Anna Smędra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Geopolitical and climate changes form the background of the current migration crisis. It has many faces. One of them are the tragic cases of poisoning of refugees due to eating wild forest mushrooms for socioeconomic reasons in the Western and Northern European countries. The most serious food poisonings in Europe, but not only, are caused by lamellar mushrooms, the most dangerous being Amanita phalloides. Its poisonous properties can be attributed to α-amanitin, an RNA polymerase II inhibitor. Unfortunately, as it is characterized by a delayed onset of symptoms, A. phalloides poisoning has a high risk of complications. Case presentation Our article presents a case of A. phalloides poisoning in a 28-year-old man, in which the responding medical emergency unit made errors in diagnosis and treatment. Since the correct diagnosis was made too late, the typical treatment of A. phalloides poisoning was ineffective. The patient suffered a life-threatening liver failure and needed liver transplant from a deceased donor. Conclusions Mushroom poisoning is a particularly important problem not only in countries with a mushroom picking tradition, but also—due to the inflow of refugees—in countries where mushroom poisoning was very rare until recently. In such cases it is crucial to quickly implement the correct procedure, as this can prevent the need for liver transplant or even death. This is a particularly important consideration for the first medical professionals to contact the patient, especially in cases where the patient reports mushrooms consumption and presents alarming symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract. Such situations cannot be underestimated and ignored. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T10:35:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-48ba82558dfd40369b2c90327b5a9676 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1757-7241 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T10:35:53Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-48ba82558dfd40369b2c90327b5a96762022-12-21T23:50:44ZengBMCScandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine1757-72412022-03-013011510.1186/s13049-022-01008-2Medical error in treatment of Amanita phalloides poisoning in pre-hospital careAnna Smędra0Katarzyna Wochna1Dariusz Zawadzki2Jarosław Berent3Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of LodzChair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of LodzDepartment of Emergency Medicine for Children, II Chair of Paediatrics, Medical University of LodzChair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of LodzAbstract Background Geopolitical and climate changes form the background of the current migration crisis. It has many faces. One of them are the tragic cases of poisoning of refugees due to eating wild forest mushrooms for socioeconomic reasons in the Western and Northern European countries. The most serious food poisonings in Europe, but not only, are caused by lamellar mushrooms, the most dangerous being Amanita phalloides. Its poisonous properties can be attributed to α-amanitin, an RNA polymerase II inhibitor. Unfortunately, as it is characterized by a delayed onset of symptoms, A. phalloides poisoning has a high risk of complications. Case presentation Our article presents a case of A. phalloides poisoning in a 28-year-old man, in which the responding medical emergency unit made errors in diagnosis and treatment. Since the correct diagnosis was made too late, the typical treatment of A. phalloides poisoning was ineffective. The patient suffered a life-threatening liver failure and needed liver transplant from a deceased donor. Conclusions Mushroom poisoning is a particularly important problem not only in countries with a mushroom picking tradition, but also—due to the inflow of refugees—in countries where mushroom poisoning was very rare until recently. In such cases it is crucial to quickly implement the correct procedure, as this can prevent the need for liver transplant or even death. This is a particularly important consideration for the first medical professionals to contact the patient, especially in cases where the patient reports mushrooms consumption and presents alarming symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract. Such situations cannot be underestimated and ignored.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-022-01008-2Mushroom poisoningAmanita phalloidesPre-hospital careCorrectness of medical treatmentMedical errorRefugees |
| spellingShingle | Anna Smędra Katarzyna Wochna Dariusz Zawadzki Jarosław Berent Medical error in treatment of Amanita phalloides poisoning in pre-hospital care Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine Mushroom poisoning Amanita phalloides Pre-hospital care Correctness of medical treatment Medical error Refugees |
| title | Medical error in treatment of Amanita phalloides poisoning in pre-hospital care |
| title_full | Medical error in treatment of Amanita phalloides poisoning in pre-hospital care |
| title_fullStr | Medical error in treatment of Amanita phalloides poisoning in pre-hospital care |
| title_full_unstemmed | Medical error in treatment of Amanita phalloides poisoning in pre-hospital care |
| title_short | Medical error in treatment of Amanita phalloides poisoning in pre-hospital care |
| title_sort | medical error in treatment of amanita phalloides poisoning in pre hospital care |
| topic | Mushroom poisoning Amanita phalloides Pre-hospital care Correctness of medical treatment Medical error Refugees |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-022-01008-2 |
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