Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) study finds fat-based liquid reduces Celphos poisoning mortality

Key facts

• A study led by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has identified Intravenous Lipid Emulsion (ILE) as a treatment that can reduce the death rate of aluminum phosphide (Celphos) poisoning by 40%.
• The research, published in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, involved a randomised pilot clinical trial with 98 adult patients.
• Aluminum phosphide is a grain fumigant that releases lethal phosphine gas upon ingestion and currently carries a 70% mortality rate with no known specific antidote.
• The ILE treatment acts as a lipid sink, functioning like a sponge to soak up fat-soluble toxins in the bloodstream before they prevent cells from using oxygen.
• The trial results showed that the mortality rate dropped from 62% in the standard care group to 22.9% in the group receiving the lipid emulsion.
• In critical cases where patients were in shock, the survival rate rose from 0% in standard care to 50% in the lipid group.
• For victims who consumed highly toxic fresh tablets, the survival rate reached 71.4% with ILE compared to 0% under standard care.
• Survival for patients with heart muscle damage increased from 3.1% to 64.3% with the addition of the lipid emulsion.
• The treatment uses a 20% lipid emulsion, which is a standard, cost-effective medical product that can be administered by physicians at primary care centres.