Hypokalaemic Paralysis Secondary to Acute Barium Carbonate Toxicity

Assessment of Barium Carbonate Toxicity on the Developmental Stages of Sarcophaga ruficornis (Diptera: Sarcophagidae)

“…It is insoluble in water but is soluble in gastrointestinal tract, thus showing its toxic effects in humans. Some previous studies also show the toxic effects of barium carbonate (Akinfieva and Gerasimova, 1984;Agarwal et al, 1995). Barium carbonate and barium sulfate cause irritation to mucous membrane of upper airways and can also cause irritation to the skin and eyes.…”

Barium

“…Barium poisoning may cause hypokalemia, high blood pressure, renal failure, and death by cardiac arrest (Patton 1994, Downs 1995, Fogliani et al 1993, Johnson and Vantassell 1991, Agarwal et al 1995, Gupta 1994, Sandmeyer and Probst 1988.…”

Barium carbonate intoxication: an electrophysiological study

“…It was done within 1 week of admission and did not show any abnormality 4. In our case nerve conduction velocity studies and EMG were done on the first day and were sequentially repeated.…”

“…This causes increased potassium in the muscle and decreased resting membrane potential 34. The fatal dose of barium carbonate is 0.8 g and death occurs within 2–12 hours 4…”

“…In most cases of barium ingestion the recovery from weakness occurs rapidly and uneventfully 4. Oral magnesium sulphate or sodium sulphate precipitate barium in the gut and thus reduce absorption.…”