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A Case of Suicide Involving the Ingestion of a Lethal Dose of Paraquat Resulting in Death.

Shabbir Shekhli, Vijay Kumar S.S.

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Indian Journal of Emergency Medicine 11(2):p 127-129, April - June 2025. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijem.2395.311X.11225.9

How Cite This Article:

Shekhli S, Kumar SS. A case of suicide involving the ingestion of a lethal dose of paraquat resulting in death. Ind J Emerg Med. 2025;11(2):127-9.

Timeline

Received : January 25, 2025         Accepted : March 06, 2025          Published : June 05, 2025

Abstract

Paraquat is used in agriculture as a weed killer and is fatal to humans even in small doses. There have been reported cases of death due to dermal absorption of paraquat. Here, we report a case of suicide involving the ingestion of a lethal dose of paraquat resulting in death within a short time. Secondary exposure of the rescuers was also observed, prompting us to issue a warning to the surrounding area. The patient, a 58-year-old female, ingested a lethal dose with suicidal intent and was transported by ambulance. She died approximately 2 hours after arrival at the hospital. However, the patient’s husband, who was exposed to vomitus on both upper limbs, showed no signs of erythema and did not develop delayed pulmonary injury. The transportation of patients with paraquat poisoning should consider the safety of both the patient and the medical personnel. Additionally, prompt decontamination should be conducted for secondary victims exposed to paraquat, with skin damage serving as a guide for hospitalization.

References

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Data Sharing Statement

There are no additional data available.

Funding

This research received no funding.

Author Contributions

All authors contributed significantly to the work and approve its publication.

Acknowledgements

Information not provided.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

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Cite this article

Shekhli S, Kumar SS. A case of suicide involving the ingestion of a lethal dose of paraquat resulting in death. Ind J Emerg Med. 2025;11(2):127-9.

Licence:

Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

Received Accepted Published
January 25, 2025 March 06, 2025 June 05, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijem.2395.311X.11225.9

Keywords

Paraquat poisonEmergency departmentLung fbrosisLung fibrosis

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Timeline

Received January 25, 2025
Accepted March 06, 2025
Published June 05, 2025

licence

Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.


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