Patient who swallowed rodent poisoning still isolated at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor
The male patient who swallowed rodent poisoning and breathed a toxic, potentially flammable gas is still isolated in his room, one day after the incident led a hazardous materials team to respond at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor.
The hospital can’t release any details about the patient under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, said Kevin DiCola, communications manager St. Joseph Mercy Health System Ann Arbor.
Ingesting the rodent poison caused the patient’s stomach acid to mix with the substance and produced phosphine, a toxic and flammable gas that can explode when exposed to air, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The detected levels of the gas were never at risk of exploding, DiCola said.
Huron Valley Ambulance responded to a call at a residence early Sunday morning, said HVA spokesperson Joyce Williams. Williams did not know the location of the residence. HVA transported the patient to St. Joe’s.
Hospital staff at the contacted the Washtenaw County Hazardous Materials Team around 10 a.m. Monday.
“We’ve been monitoring air levels in the room continuously. There are no levels (of phosphine) in the air,” DiCola said Tuesday afternoon.
The incident did not disrupt business or threaten patient safety at the Superior Township hospital.
Having one patient prompt a hazmat response is unusual, DiCola said.
“The hazmat situation involving one patient is somewhat unique, but St. Joe’s hospital staff has a protocol for any hazardous material situation that may arise,” DiCola said.
HVA had two ambulances on standby for several hours as the hazmat team checked the air on the 6th floor of the hospital for phosphine for roughly 6 hours Monday.
Zinc phosphide is a rodenticide that, once ingested, causes eventual cardiovascular collapse when phosphine gas created in the stomach rapidly enters the blood stream. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, it was first used as rodent poison in 1740 and is still used in Michigan to bait for pests. It emits a garlic-like odor.
Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Comments
chas
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 2:18 a.m.
<a href="http://www.annarbor.com/news/patient-who-swallowed-rodent-poisoning-breathed-potentially-explosive-gas-still-isolated-at-st-josep/#comments">http://www.annarbor.com/news/patient-who-swallowed-rodent-poisoning-breathed-potentially-explosive-gas-still-isolated-at-st-josep/#comments</a> You refer to St Joseph as, "Ann Arbor" it is in Ypsilanti. Where does the reference to AA come from?
jkselberg
Wed, Apr 27, 2011 : 9:50 p.m.
Lola, if you really don't know why an individual would swallow rat poison, or any other poisonous substance, get in touch with a suicide prevention agency and ask. Do you want the details behind this particular person's decision? If so, that's a shame; it only tends to increase the pain of family and friends who have to deal with this sad situation.
Lola
Wed, Apr 27, 2011 : 7:18 p.m.
Seriously, why leave the guy alone? I want to know why and under what circumstances someone swallows rat poison....
mentalNomad
Tue, Apr 26, 2011 : 11:47 p.m.
I think that Zinc Phosphide is actually a rodenticide, not a rodentcide. And yeah, let's leave this poor guy alone.
jkselberg
Tue, Apr 26, 2011 : 9:35 p.m.
Can't we leave this poor guy alone, now? The Detroit Free Press printed this "story" in a single paragraph on an inside page.
Jatra
Tue, Apr 26, 2011 : 9:31 p.m.
I know from a prior story the the patient metabolized the ingested poison and exhaled a toxic gas but from the way it is written it gives the impression that he both ingested poison and huffed a toxic gas. Just an observation.