An unusual case of nicotine poisoning

Acute nicotine poisoning by enema is an uncommon event. A review of the last 70 years of the English and Spanish medical literature has failed to reveal a case of nicotine poisoning by enema in an adult. The use of tobacco enemas in children to treat intestinal parasites has been reported as a cause of poisoning and death. We have recently treated an adult for acute nicotine poisoning from a tobacco enema. This unusual case allowed us to observe some of the complex pharmacologic responses of the body to nicotine.