CRRT Versus Plasmapheresis in Aluminum Phosphide Poisoning

Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is a solid fumigant pesticide sold as tablets in use since the 1940s. It is considered to be an ideal pesticide because of its cheapness, efficiency, and easy availability in the market and is widely used as a grain preservative worldwide.The mortality in cases of aluminum phosphide poisoning varies between 60% and 90%, even in experienced and well-equipped hospitals. Patients mostly die due to cardiovascular collapse, refractory shock, severe acidemia, fulminant hepatic failure, and or adult respiratory distress syndrome. Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is a slow and smooth continuous extracorporeal blood purification, which is designed to replicate depurative function of the kidney. It is usually implemented over 24 h to several days with an aim of gentle correction of fluid overload and removal of excess uremic toxins. Furthermore, many observational studies considered CRRT as the predominant form of RRT in the intensive care unit (ICU) for critically ill patients with AKI and/or multiorgan failure, along with acute brain injury or other causes of increased intracranial pressure or generalized brain edema. The effectiveness of CRRT is mainly due to its accurate volume control, steady acid-base and electrolyte correction, and achievement of hemodynamic stability in adults and pediatrics. Plasmapheresis (PPH) can rapidly and effectively remove toxic substances and their potentially toxic metabolites from the blood compartment, especially those with high protein-binding. As the potential benefit of therapeutic plasma exchange is increasingly recognized, its use is becoming more widespread, and case reports have confirmed its value in the treatment of drug overdose. The application of plasmapheresis dramatically reversed the severe biochemical and clinical manifestations and was able to prevent serious co-occurrence.