Emergency Tracheotomy - A Life Saving Procedure in Poisoning

The commonest poisons used in suicide in rural India include organophosphorus pesticides, other pesticides, and toxic plants such as oleander. In urban areas, recently introduced pesticides which are easily available in agricultural shops are the commonest poisons. A rising trend is being noticed of late, of household poisons, especially hair dye being commonly employed.

Characteristic features noted in three cases of suicide with Super Vasmol^® hair dye in our hospital are discussed in this paper with emphasis on the importance of emergency measures such as tracheotomy to relieve supra-glottic oedema which is not uncommon in such cases.