Fatal lignocaine poisoning: report of two cases and review of the literature.

Abstract

1. Two fatal cases of deliberate self-poisoning with lignocaine are reported, one by oral ingestion and one by intravenous injection. Post-mortem blood lignocaine concentrations were 40 and 53 mg/l, respectively. 2. Lignocaine self-poisoning is rare since no formulations for oral use other than gels are available. However, serious toxicity can follow the oral application or ingestion of such gels, especially in children and in the elderly. Fatalities due to accidental oral overdosage with 10-25 g of lignocaine in adults have also been reported. 3. The frequent incidental occurrence of lignocaine in specimens submitted for toxicological analysis should not exclude the possibility of poisoning with this compound.