Acute Anticholinergic Syndrome from Atropa Belladonna Mistaken for Blueberries

Purpose

To report the first case in the ophthalmic literature of acute anticholinergic syndrome after ingestion of Atropa belladonna mistaken for blueberries.

Methods

A 36-year-old woman presented to our ophthalmic emergency department with complaints of blurry vision, lightning flashes, disorientation, loss of balance, agitation, and anxiety for 24 hours. Ophthalmic examination revealed bilateral pupillary dilatation and paresis of accommodation. Additional symptoms of the anticholinergic syndrome were elicited on further questioning.

Results

Anticholinergic intoxication was suspected and the patient admitted to have eaten six “blueberries” found in the forest the previous day. The patient identified Atropa belladonna as the source of the berries she had eaten when shown photographs of the plant and its fruit. The recommendations of the Swiss Toxicological Information Centre were followed and physostigmine, the antidote for severe poisoning when 10 or more berries are ingested, was not administered.

Conclusions

Accidental ingestion of Atropa belladonna berries may cause patients to first consult an ophthalmologist. It is important to recognize the anticholinergic syndrome caused by such intoxication in order to make a proper diagnosis, avoid unnecessary testing, and provide expedient appropriate treatment when required.

[Isovolumic hemodilution in the management of the acute phase of central retinal vein occlusion: a pilot study]

INTRODUCTION

Cases series and randomized studies support the use of isovolumic hemodilution at the acute phase of the central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). However, a recent meta-analysis showed the difficulty of interpreting the long-term effect of isovolumic hemodilution because of the late complications and the concomitant use of other treatments. We present here a pilot case-series study aiming to demonstrate the effect of isovolumic hemodilution at the acute phase of the disease, before any other treatment was applied.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

Twenty-two consecutive cases of CRVO were prospectively treated with isovolumic hemodilution within 15 days of disease onset (substitution of 10 ml/kg of blood by a macromolecular solution (Voluven), aiming at a hematocrit of 35%). The treatment was performed in ambulatory conditions after excluding common contraindications (cardiac, respiratory and renal insufficiency, angina pectoris, history of heart attack or stroke during the last 6 months). The patients were followed prospectively with respect to visual acuity, fluorescein angiography and visual acuity at one week, one month, three months and twelve months.

RESULTS

Visual acuity improved of at least one ETDRS line (5 letters) in 59% of the patients one week after the treatment. Improvement in the haemodynamic was observed in all these cases on fluorescein angiography. The vision remained stable at 1 month and 3 months before any other treatment was applied. After the 3rd month, additional intravitreous injection of triamcinolone was applied in 32% of eyes for persistent macular edema. At 12 months after hemodilution, visual acuity improved in 64% of cases and only 5% of the eyes converted into an ischemic CRVO.

DISCUSSION

Isovolumic hemodilution at the acute phase of the CRVO is followed by an improvement in both vision and angiographic characteristics in more than 60% of our patients and the conversion into an ischemic form was limited to 5% of eyes. Further randomized studies are needed to evaluate the specific effect of hemodilution in the long term.