Potentially fatal ingestion of heat-not-burn cigarettes successfully treated by gastric lavage.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Single patient case report
PubMed 33392579 · doi:10.1002/emp2.12283
What was done
A 59-year-old man with depression presented to the emergency department after intentionally ingesting 8 heat-not-burn cigarettes containing an estimated total of 100 mg of nicotine. Abdominal computed tomography was performed to visualize gastric contents, followed by gastric lavage to reduce nicotine absorption.
What was found
Abdominal computed tomography confirmed gastric contents by detecting multiple stick-like and rod-shaped high-density structures. Following gastric lavage, the patient exhibited only mild gastrointestinal symptoms despite the estimated 100 mg nicotine ingestion.
Why it matters
Highlights that heat-not-burn cigarette products are radiopaque on abdominal CT and that gastric lavage can be considered for potentially lethal ingestions.
Limits
Single-patient case report with no comparator or control. Serum nicotine levels and exact time-to-intervention were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Consuming all the nicotine contained in a single carton of cigarettes is lethal.