Cardiac Arrest in Patient with Phencyclidine (PCP) Intoxication

Introduction: Phencyclidine (PCP) is a least addictive drug due to its lack of CNS suppression like other drugs such as opioids, benzodiazepine and alcohol. Mortality from PCP is also not very common as it does not cause any direct toxic effects. However PCP intoxication is lethal through its secondary effects such, rhabdomyolysis, Acute renal failure, hyperkalemia and seizures. Case presentation: Toxicity from PCP is dose dependent with various levels of CNS excitement based on the dose. We describe a case of a patient who presented to the emergency department with cardiac arrest. Patient had prolonged cardiac arrest on initial evaluation; the patient had potassium of 11.9 with acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis. Patient admitted to ICU after initial resuscitation. Patient had a complicated ICU course with compartment syndrome and multiple organ failure. Wife reports the patient takes some substance before this event patient urine came back positive for phencyclidine. Discussion: It is important to understand the lethality of phencyclidine. More commonly we discuss the high mortality from opioids with the patients but we do not discuss the mortality from other substances such as PCP, family and patients should be warn appropriately regarding the drugs which can cause death.