Administration of flumazenil in a patient with acute abamectin intoxication case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Abamectin is used in several countries as a type of macrocyclic lactone insecticide to control nematodes and other pests in livestock and agriculture. This medicine, used for animals and crops, would be highly toxic to humans if a person has intentional poisoning. We report a case of a 47-year old man who was admitted to the hospital after ingestion of a large dose of abamectin on purpose, and who rapidly recovered consciousness after administration of flumazenil. Although flumazenil is not the antidote of abamectin, we may hypothesize that it could reduce recovery time and shorten expenditures in hospital. This is the first report that focusses on a specific treatment which could possibly accelerate recovery of consciousness for patients with abamectin intoxication.