Section 2. Poisons, Poisoning, Syndromes, and Their Clinical Management

Abstract

This section includes detailed scientific and clinical toxicological information. For nonphysicians, this scientific and medical information should be utilized for informational purposes only; certain medical terms utilized in this section terms are not defined. For physicians, clinical care should not simply focus on the potential plant exposure, although this information is obviously helpful in many situations. Rather, clinical care should take into account the patient’s current and prior medical history, physical examination, appropriate diagnostic testing, response to therapy, and all other factors normally utilized in the provision of clinical care. That is, the patient should be managed based on his or her clinical condition rather than just on the knowledge of an exposure or suspicion of a toxin.