Doctors at a city hospital provided a new lease of life to a young man from Chhindwara who had consumed Celphos, a deadly poison. The rate of survival of a person after consuming Celphos, also known as Aluminium Phosphide, is just 10%. Celphos starts damaging the organs the moment it enters the body, and eventually kills the person. However, the timely treatmentment provided to 36-year-old Pramod Hiware (name changed), at Central Avenue Critical Care Hospital in Gandhibag has worked wonders, saving the young man’s life. Hiware made a remarkable recovery after receiving the treatment. This case highlights the dangers of Celphos poisoning and the importance of early diagnosis. "Celphos poisoning is a serious public health concern. This readily available fumigant, often mistaken for a rice tablet, releases phosphine gas upon contact with moisture. This gas disrupts cellular oxygen use, leading to organ failure and death. This young man had consumed 20 gm of the poison. The mortality rate for Celphos poisoning is tragically high, at nearly 90%,” explained Dr R G Chandak, part of the team that treated Hiware.

 

Hiware reportedly consumed two packets of Celphos and arrived at the hospital six hours later. “The golden hours for survival of patients consuming this poison are 12. Since he came to our hospitals early, it became a bit easy for us to treat him. Early intervention is crucial in Celphos poisoning cases,” pointed out Dr Chandak. “We noticed significant changes in Hiware’s blood work, indicating cellular stress. There is no specific antidote for Celphos, so our focus became supporting his vital functions and eliminating the poison from his body,” said Dr Chandak. The team at Central Avenue Critical Care Hospital took an innovative approach in the treatment. “We used hemodialysis, a blood filtration technique, for 16 hours. This helped remove the poison from his bloodstream. Additionally, we performed a blood exchange, replacing a portion of his blood with fresh blood. We are thankful to Tirpude Blood Bank for providing timely help. We also administered strong laxatives to facilitate the elimination of any remaining poison through his digestive system.

 

Thankfully, the patient responded well to the treatment and gradually improved," elaborated Dr Chandak. The hospital started treatment after relatives consented. Dr Chandak emphasised the importance of public awareness, "This case may be the first reported instance using a combination of hemodialysis, blood exchange, and high-dose laxatives for Celphos poisoning. We hope this case highlights the need for immediate medical attention in such situations. With Celphos poisoning, time is of the essence." Dr Chandak is contemplating to document the case and treatment modality so that it would help others. He has decided to apply such procedure on the patients consuming some other poisons too. Team of doctors included Dr RG Chandak, Dr S D Suryawanshi, Dr Kiran Patel, Dr R Ganeshe, Dr Sanjay Mankar, Dr Gaurav Bansod, Dr Sunil Bengal, Lalit Khobragade.