Abstract
A 3 1/2-year-old British girl died in cardio-pulmonary arrest after ingesting an unknown amount of Lomotil® tablets. Chemical analysis by gas-liquid chromatography confirmed the presence of high levels of diphenoxylate in the blood as well as stomach and intestinal contents. No diphenoxylate was found in the urine. At autopsy the intestines were congested, but the main pathology was in the cerebellum, which showed typical changes described by others as ‘respirator brain’. The deceased was not put on a respirator and did not receive naloxone.
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