Page 536 - Medicine and Surgery

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532 Chapter 15: Overdose, poisoning and addiction

be required. Convulsions are treated with intravenous Prognosis
diazepam. The mortality in chronic poisoning is 9%, but as high
In severe poisoning the treatment of choice is as 25% in acute overdose. Clinical symptoms may per-

haemodialysis which is considered if there are any sist after the serum lithium levels have fallen and 10% of
neurological features or if very high plasma levels are patients with chronic poisoning have long-term neuro-
detected. logical sequelae.