Friday August 6, 1999 - Question 14

The poison center is contact by a local emergency room physician. Thirty minutes ago a middle aged man presented to the ED complaining of epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting that started 10 hours ago. He claims that yesterday afternoon he picked a large white mushroom from the grass in front of a downtown convenience store. Last night, the patient cleaned the mushroom, sauteed it in a frying pan, and ate it for dinner.  He says that he went to bed feeling fine but woke up about 4 hours after the meal with severe GI discomfort. Throughout the night he experienced several episodes of emesis. The patient appears to be mildly dehydrated but his physical exam is otherwise unremarkable.

What initial treatment recommendations would you give the physician?

Your discussion should include:

1. A discussion of GI decontamination

2. Monitoring parameters

3. Treatment recommendation

4. A plan for patient disposition
 

Response