A 1-year, 6-month-old boy was presented to us 8 h postexposure with burn of 20% BSA involvement including the lower part of the face and anterior chest wall. After initial resuscitation including intubation and ventilation, he was hyperhydrated assuming the possibility of acute kidney injury (AKI) secondary to pigment nephropathy, but in spite of this, his urine output started falling from day 2 of admission, and hemoglobinuria became obvious along with rising creatinine from 0.28 to 0.98 mg/dl. Furosemide infusion was started to maintain urine output >1.5 ml/kg/h, and slowly with judicious fluid support and furosemide infusion, urine started clearing from 4th day of admission and creatinine normalized. Evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract by endoscopy revealed esophagus Grade 2b and stomach Grade 2a burn injury. He was extubated by day 6 of mechanical ventilation. He was initially kept on total parenteral nutrition for 7 days and thereafter started on clear liquids which were gradually built up to semi-solid. Solids were initiated after 6 weeks, once repeat endoscopy revealed normal esophageal and gastric mucosa. At present, he is doing well without any long-term complication.\nAccording to the parents/onlookers, none of the children ingested significant amount of carbolic acid as they spitted it out immediately, and the majority of the carbolic acid was splattered on their various body parts.
Mr. A, a 22-year-old Hispanic male with past psychiatric history of methamphetamine dependence and bipolar disorder type 1, came to the emergency department because of suicidal ideation with a plan to slash his throat with a machete. The patient was very agitated in triage and during initial assessment. In the emergency room (ER), the patient reported that he had been using methamphetamine for the last two years. His last use was a few hours before coming to the ER and that was his only use during the past six to eight weeks.\nOn physical examination, temperature was found to be 96.5 degree Fahrenheit, pulse 105/minute, blood pressure 124/78 mm Hg, weight 68.0 kg, and height 173 cm. His pupils were 5 mm in diameter and reactive. In the review of systems, the patient denied any pulmonary, cardiac, renal, and abdominal complaints. There was no increased lacrimation. Lungs were clear and the heart rate was regular without murmurs. Bowel sounds were normoactive. The patient was not oriented to time. His affect was flat and irritable. He was evasive and tangential while answering questions. A chest radiograph and electrocardiogram were normal. His urinary drug screen was positive for amphetamines, methamphetamines, and cannabinoids. Blood chemistry concentrations/counts/percent of the following analyses were mainly within reference limits: alcohol <5 mg/dL, salicylate <4 mg/dL, sodium 141 mmol/L, potassium 3.8 mmol/L, chloride 107 mmol/L, blood urea nitrogen 10 mg/dL, creatinine 0.9 mg/dL, aspartate transaminase 23 U/L, alanine transaminase 18 U/L, alkaline phosphatase 69 U/L, thyroid stimulating hormone 0.57 μIU/mL, white blood cells 10.7 K/uL, red blood cells 4.49 Mu/L, haemoglobin 13.9 g/dL, hematocrit 42.2%, and platelets 239 K/uL. Urinalysis revealed nothing abnormal.\nThe patient was transferred to the inpatient psychiatry unit. The next day, the patient was disoriented, refused to talk to the treatment team, and slept most of the day. On his third hospital day, the patient was much more oriented and reported that he was unable to get methamphetamine for the past six to eight weeks because he could not afford it. He claimed to use an insecticide, mostly cockroach killer, to “get high.” He would either “electrocute” the bottle or spray it on a heated metal sheet, and when the contents of the bottle turned into crystal, he would either inhale it or smoke it. The patient would use the crystals formed from one bottle for four to seven days. He claimed that his friends used those crystals intravenously after diluting them. The patient reported that it would give him the same high as methamphetamine and he would occasionally have feelings of deja vu. The patient also reported having olfactory hallucinations when he was on “crystal roach killer” but could not elaborate on that. He said that he liked the increase in heart rate and the “rush” he used to get after every use.\nThe patient's last use of the “crystal roach killer” was three days before coming to the ER. The patient reported that he would sleep most of the day when he was using it. He denied unwanted adverse effects during his use except for frequent headaches upon waking up which were relieved by over-the-counter analgesics. The patient had been using the insecticide for six to eight weeks and only used methamphetamine one (1) day before coming to the ER. The patient claimed that he had been compliant with his medications for bipolar disorder until he started using “crystal roach killer.” The patient was taking divalproex sodium 500 mg twice daily and quetiapine extended-release 300 mg at bedtime. He voiced that he, since a few weeks before coming to the ER, got scared that he might get cancer because of the frequent use of the insecticide, which led him to have suicidal ideation.