Aluminum phosphide is a pesticide first introduced in India and commonly available in Iran under the name ‘ rice tablet ’. Rice tablets are used to control rodents and insects. However, it has also been used as a suicide drug in recent years in Iran. Upon interacting with water, the rice tablet emits phosphine gas which can be absorbed by the mucosa and results in vomiting, nausea, dyspnea, refractory hypotension, severe metabolic acidosis, and cardiac failure. Despite the absence of an antidote, glucose, insulin, and potassium (GIK) have been used for treating rice tablet poisoning.
Generally, rice tablet poisoning cases with a hypotensive shock result in the death of patients. Nevertheless, in a recent Iranian case, doctors treated a patient with rice tablet poisoning using GIK. 1 Read this interesting case report to know whether GIK treats rice tablet poisoning effectively. A…
