Accidental human poisoning with a veterinary tranquilliser

DISCUSSION Detomidine (trade names Domosedan and Dormosedan) is used for sedating horses and other animals to facilitate examination and surgical procedures. 1, 2 Detomidine causes a bradycardia with blood pressure initially raised and then normal or low, reduced cardiac output, and slowing of intracardiac conduction with partial sinoatrial and atrioventricular block. The only previous report of detomidine poisoning in humans is a single case of deliberate injection of detomidine 50 mg and butorphanol 100 mg in a 36 year old man. 8 Butorphanol is an opioid drug for which the antidote is naloxone. 9 The patient presented with a GCS of 6 and required a continuous infusion of naloxone, but his heart rate never fell below 70 beats/min and his blood pressure never below 110/80 mmHg.