Date of Presentation
5-6-2021 12:00 AM
College
School of Osteopathic Medicine
Poster Abstract
Body stuffing refers to the ingestion of an illegal substance in an effort to conceal it and avoid prosecution. This is distinct from, and more common than, the practice of body packing in which large amounts of an illegal substance are carefully packaged and ingested to be transported discreetly by smugglers [1]. While body packers tend to ingest much larger quantities of a drug, they are less prone to developing symptoms of drug toxicity due to the meticulous packaging methods used when compared with those who ingest packets of drugs in haste to avoid prosecution [2]. Many substances have been reported to be contained in these ingested packets, but cocaine continues to be the most common [1]. While many patients who present to the emergency department with suspected cocaine body stuffing will be asymptomatic, about 30% will develops symptoms of drug intoxication, and 4% will develop severe symptoms including seizures [3]. Here we report a case of body stuffing leading to severe cocaine toxicity.
Keywords
body stuffing, cocaine toxicity, illicit drugs
Disciplines
Medical Toxicology | Medicine and Health Sciences | Substance Abuse and Addiction
Document Type
Poster
A Case of Cocaine Toxicity from Body Stuffing
Body stuffing refers to the ingestion of an illegal substance in an effort to conceal it and avoid prosecution. This is distinct from, and more common than, the practice of body packing in which large amounts of an illegal substance are carefully packaged and ingested to be transported discreetly by smugglers [1]. While body packers tend to ingest much larger quantities of a drug, they are less prone to developing symptoms of drug toxicity due to the meticulous packaging methods used when compared with those who ingest packets of drugs in haste to avoid prosecution [2]. Many substances have been reported to be contained in these ingested packets, but cocaine continues to be the most common [1]. While many patients who present to the emergency department with suspected cocaine body stuffing will be asymptomatic, about 30% will develops symptoms of drug intoxication, and 4% will develop severe symptoms including seizures [3]. Here we report a case of body stuffing leading to severe cocaine toxicity.