Carbamate toxicity. A case report

The type of poisoning which inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AChE) most often encountered in an intensive care unit is that of organophosphates (OP). Carbamates also inhibit AChE but for a much shorter duration and they do not cause the same degree of central nervous system effects as OP. A case of carbamate poisoning is described, in which the pharmacological differences between carbamates and OP are stressed. The therapeutic and diagnostic differences between the two are also discussed.