The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics 2016 , Vol 58 , Num 3
The need for mechanical ventilation in a child exposed to a laundry detergent pod
Fulya Kamit-Can 1 ,Caner Alparslan 2 ,Ayşe Berna Anıl 3 ,Murat Anıl 4 ,Neslihan Zengin 1 ,Ender Can 1
1 Department of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Katip Çelebi Univercity, Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey
2 Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Katip Çelebi Univercity, Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey
3 Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Katip Çelebi Univercity, Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey
4 Pediatric Emergency Care Unit, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Katip Çelebi Univercity, Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey
DOI : 10.24953/turkjped.2016.03.017 Laundry detergent pods (LDPs) are a new, concentrated form of detergent covered by a membrane of polyvinyl alcohol or other water-soluble material. In contrast to traditional laundry detergents, the spectrum of responses to exposure to LDPs ranges from mild to life-threatening events. This is a case report of a 3-year-old male who ingested part of an LDP, leading to a depressed level of consciousness, upper airway obstruction, and severe respiratory distress. The patient required intubation and mechanical ventilation for 2 days before being discharged. This rare, severe clinical pattern demonstrates the potential toxicity of these laundry detergents. In the literature, few cases that required intubation and ventilation have been reported. To our knowledge, this is also the first case of LDP exposure reported from Turkey. Keywords : laundry detergent pod, critically ill children, mechanical ventilation, poisoning
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