II. Background
- Flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae, that grows in the western United States and Canada
- Similar appearance to wild onions (as well as blue camas, mariposa lily) results in Acute Poisonings
- Toxins (including the alkaloid zygacine) are stable in drying, prolonged storage and heat (not degraded by cooking)
- Bulbs are the most toxic portions of the plant (although the seeds and nectar are also toxic)
- Two bulbs may be the lethal dose in adults
- May also kill grazing livestock (esp. sheep)
III. Symptoms
- Symptom onset 2 hours after ingestion
- Cholinergic Toxicity
- May begin with oral symptoms (lip numbness, mouth watering)
- Gastrointestinal
- Cardiovascular
- Cardiac conduction delay
- Bradycardia
- Hypotension
- Neurotoxicity
IV. Management
- Consult poison control
- ABC Management
- Supportive Care
- Intravenous Fluids
- Antiemetics
- Vasopressors (for refractory Hypotension)
- Atropine (for Bradycardia)
- Other Anticholinergic Agents
- Glycopyrrolate
V. Resources
- Toxicoscordion venenosum (Wikipedia)
VI. References
- Cardy, Cohen, Padrez and Nordt (2024) Poisoned Family, EM:Rap, 6/17/2024