Aluminium phosphide poisoning: Doctors at PGIMER have reported what they call a significant step forward in treating aluminium phosphide (Celphos) poisoning, a pesticide ingestion that is notoriously difficult to manage and often fatal.
The team from PGIMER’s Department of Internal Medicine tested intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) as an add-on to standard care in a single-centre, randomised, open-label clinical trial involving 98 adult patients with confirmed poisoning. The work has been published in the European Review of Medical and Pharmacological Sciences.
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According to the published results, patients who received ILE had lower mortality (22.9%) compared with those given standard treatment alone (62%). The paper also reports quicker improvement in severe metabolic acidosis markers, including a larger fall in lactate and a bigger rise in bicarbonate, alongside better outcomes in high-risk subgroups such as patients presenting with shock.
The study was led by Dr Mandip Singh Bhatia (associate professor, Internal Medicine), with Dr Sanjay Jain (Dean Academics and head of the department) providing overall guidance; Dr Saurabh Chandrabhan Sharda was listed as co-investigator along with other department authors. PGIMER said the work was supported by its Medical Education and Research Cell.
A key point highlighted by the institute and reports is practicality: ILE is already stocked in many hospitals, including smaller facilities, which could make early administration possible even outside tertiary centres, an important consideration in regions where Celphos poisoning is frequently seen.