Severe quetiapine voluntary overdose successfully treated with a new hemoperfusion sorbent

Int J Artif Organs. 2019 Sep;42(9):516-520. doi: 10.1177/0391398819837686. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Abstract

Quetiapine overdose, although rare, is mainly linked with tachycardia, QTc-interval prolongation, somnolence, coma, hyperglycemia, and eventually hepatotoxicity and myocarditis. Extracorporeal techniques for quetiapine removal might be helpful, but only a few cases are reported in the literature. We here describe the case of a 27-year-old healthy woman, admitted to our Intensive Care Unit after voluntary quetiapine intake and successfully treated with CytoSorb hemoperfusion in combination with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), in order to accelerate quetiapine elimination. This is the first published experience about the potential application of hemoadsorption therapies, as CytoSorb sorbent, in large overdoses of quetiapine and this approach might be feasible to rapidly remove the substance from blood, stabilizing the patient condition.

Keywords: Apheresis; acute renal failure; apheresis and detoxification techniques; artificial kidney; chronic renal failure; hemoperfusion; sorbents.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antipsychotic Agents / adverse effects
  • Antipsychotic Agents / blood*
  • Drug Overdose
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intensive Care Units
  • Quetiapine Fumarate / adverse effects
  • Quetiapine Fumarate / blood*
  • Renal Replacement Therapy
  • Sorption Detoxification / methods*
  • Suicide, Attempted

Substances

  • Antipsychotic Agents
  • Quetiapine Fumarate