MANAGEMENT OF THEOPHYLLINE INTOXICATION WITH CHARCOAL-COLUMN HEMOPERFUSION

THEOPHYLLINE toxicity causing neurologic and cardiac manifestations is usually associated with high serum concentrations.1,2 Supportive care is the mainstay after the drug is discontinued. Nevertheless, there are patients in whom generalized seizures, arrhythmias, cardiorespiratory collapse and coma are life threatening unless active removal of the drug is undertaken. Winchester et al.3 noted that pulmonary complications progressively increased with the duration of coma, and fatal outcomes were more often related to the complications than to the intoxicating agent itself. However, in their review theophylline was not listed as potentially hemodialyzable or hemoperfusible. A recent case report on resin hemoperfusion for the. © 1979, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.