Systemic toxicity after an ocular exposure to xylazine hydrochloride

Velez, Larissa I.; Shepherd, Greene; Mills, Lisa D.; Rivera, Wilfredo

doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2006.02.042

« Previous Next »The Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 30, Issue 4 , Pages 407-410, May 2006

Systemic toxicity after an ocular exposure to xylazine hydrochloride

Larissa I. Velez, MD, FACEP
- Department of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine, Section of Toxicology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Reprint Address: Larissa I. Velez, md, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-8579
Greene Shepherd, PHARMD, DABAT
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Georgia, College of Pharmacy and Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia
Lisa D. Mills, MD
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Emergency Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana
Wilfredo Rivera, MD
- Department of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine, Section of Toxicology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

Received 18 June 2004; received in revised form 30 March 2005; accepted 25 July 2005.

Abstract

There are limited reports of human overdose with the animal tranquilizer, xylazine hydrochloride. The reported effects include hypotension, bradycardia, and respiratory depression. Ocular exposures to xylazine have not been previously reported. A 38-year-old man arrived in the Emergency Department, reporting the accidental irrigation of both eyes with approximately 8 mL of xylazine (100 mg/mL) 30 min before arrival. The patient was asymptomatic. The eyes were copiously irrigated with isotonic crystalloid. Two hours after the exposure, the patient developed sinus bradycardia (40–50 beats/min), hypotension (90/60 mm Hg), and a decreased level of consciousness. The patient was admitted for observation, during which the bradycardia and hypotension were noted to persist. He remained otherwise asymptomatic. The symptoms resolved without intervention, other than i.v. fluids, approximately 25 h after the exposure. The patient was discharged home. This case demonstrates that ocular exposure to xylazine can cause systemic central nervous system and cardiovascular effects.

Keywords: toxicology , xylazine , eye , toxicity , hypotension