Turkish Journal of Geriatrics
2010 , Vol 13, Issue 2
A CASE OF GALLBLADDER PERFORATION IN ELDERLY WHO ATTEMPTED SUICIDE
Ankara Numune Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi 7. Cerrahi Kliniği ANKARA
Decrease in cognitive functions and tendency for depression in elderly patients result in suicide
attempts, and this remains a major health problem especially in developed countries. Oral
ingestion of various caustic substances for suicidal purposes are common, however, using a
mixture of these substances is quite rare. Ingestion of household products may lead to injuries in
the aero-digestive tract ranging in severity from mild to fatal. Moreover, the complex chemical
composition of such products makes understanding the interactions between them almost
impossible. We present an elderly patient with gallbladder perforation, who had ingested
naphthalene and warfarin tablets (rat poison) dissolved in a cleanser (for window cleaning).
Keywords :
Gallbladder perforation; Naphthalene; Warfarin