[Problems of infrequent and often underestimated drug poisonings in emergency medicine]

Intoxication with medicaments which do not belong to the class of sedatives or psychopharmaca are often underestimated and not treated in hospital if they have no influence on the sensorium. In the Central First Aid and Intensive Therapy Department Berlin-Friedrichshain about 400-500 patients with drug intoxications of all kind are treated annually. Out of these on the average 30 intoxications are not conditioned by psychopharmaca, sedatives or analgesics. In these intoxications the drugs in question are above all cardio-active medicaments (glycosides and antiarrhythmics), rauwolfia and ergot alkaloids as well as industry and household chemicals. 3 patients with such intoxications are described concerning their clinical symptomatology, the course and the therapy.