1. Use of oximes in the management of organophosphorus pesticide poisoning Michael Eddleston South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Centre for Tropical Medicine, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford. Dept of Clinical Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Funded by the

2. Pralidoxime Pyridine-2-aldoxime Quarternary ammonium salt discovered by Wilson Four salts: chloride (2-Pam, Mw 173), mesilate (Mw 232) metilsulfate (Mw 249), iodide (Mw 264), Renal excretion (85% in urine 24hrs after bolus dose) VD = 0.6 L/kg T ½a = 4.2 mins T ½b = 75 mins (Some papers suggest that PK is altered in patients)

3. Wilson’s work in early 1950s [BBA 1955]
Nicotinohydroxamic acid methiodide
2 pyridine aldoxime
2 pyridine aldoxime methiodide
[2 pralidoxime methiodide, 2-PAM]

4. Wilson’s work in early 1950s [BBA 1955]
LuH6

5. Pralidoxime Pyridine-2-aldoxime Quarternary ammonium salt discovered by Wilson Four salts: chloride (Mw 173), iodide (Mw 264), metilsulfate (Mw 249), mesilate (Mw 232) Renal excretion (85% in urine 24hrs after bolus dose) VD = 0.6 L/kg T ½a = 4.2 mins T ½b = 75 mins (Some papers suggest that PK is altered in patients)

6. Effect of thiamine coadministration on pralidoxime PK
Josselson 1978
Comparison of PAM chloride 5 mg/kg over 2 min alone vs
PAM chloride + constant infusion of thiamine 100 mg/hr

7. Oxime pharmacology

8. Pralidoxime First used clinically by Namba in Most textbooks now recommend a regimen of: 1g over 5-20 mins, repeated after 3-8 hrs. Commonly given for just 24 hrs. However, many Asian clinicians doubt its effectiveness The World Health Organization responds that pralidoxime should be given. But what is the clinical trial evidence?

9. What is the clinical evidence for oximes use? 1
1991 Senanayake, Peradeniya, SL.
Found no difference in OP poisoning fatality rate during 6 months when pralidoxime was available compared to a 6 month period when it was not available (when each patient received 1g q6h for 1 day).
WHO response: “too low a dose”. But no trials to support this view.

10. [PAM] 20 mg/L = 75 µMol

11. What is the clinical evidence for oximes use? 2
1992 Samuel, Vellore, India.
Compared 1g bolus pralidoxime with a 12g infusion over 4 days in 72 patients. Found non-significant increase in death and ventilation requirement in patients receiving the infusion.
1993 Cherian, Vellore, India.
Compared 12g infusion over 3 days with placebo in 110 patients. Found significant increase in death, intermediate syndrome, and ventilation requirements in patients receiving pralidoxime
WHO: uncertain methodology, no loading dose

12. 1993 Cherian RCT Compared 12g PAM given over 3 days (estimated 3
1993 Cherian RCT Compared 12g PAM given over 3 days (estimated 3.7mg/kg for a 45kg patient) with saline placebo in 110 patients PAM increased mortality: AR 16/55 [29%] with PAM vs. 3/55 [5%] with placebo; Relative risk 5.3, 95% CI 1.7 to PAM increased requirement for ventilation: AR 36/55 [67%] with PAM vs. 22/55 [40%] with placebo; Relative risk 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.4

13. ‘High dose’ PAM PK in RCT 2 from Vellore
(0.16g/hr infusion without bolus in 50kg person)

14. Comparison of PAM and obidoxime
Eyer 2003, Toxicol Rev
100 µMol

15. 100 nMol paraoxon
Eyer 2003, Toxicol Rev

16. There may also be differences between OPs in how they respond to oximes

17. diEthyl vs. diMethyl OPs

18. Oxime pharmacology

19. Summary Half-life of reaction 1 - Inhibition
- Milliseconds for both diMethyl and diEthyl OPs
Half-life of reaction 2 - Spontaneous reactivation
1 hr for diMethyl
30hrs for diEthyl
Half-life of reaction 2 - Ageing
3hrs for diMethyl
33hrs for diEthyl

20. Conclusions Inhibition is very fast, reactivation much slower.
diMethyl OPs reactivate faster than diEthyl OPs.
But oximes speed up reactivation for both.
Ageing also occurs faster with diMethyl OPs – reactivation being no longer possible after 4 half-lives (12hrs) and severely limited after 1-2 half-lives (3-6hrs).
Ageing takes longer with diEthyl OPs – oximes may therefore work for up to 130hrs (5 days), and be very effective after 1 half-life (> 1 day).

21. Do we see any evidence of this variable response clinically?

22. Organophosphorus pesticide poisoning

24. Chlorpyrifos poisoning

25. Fenthion poisoning

26. Dimethoate poisoning

27. Have we got the dose wrong for dimethoate?

29. Dimethoate poisoning in Munich

30. Profenofos
Prothiofos

31. Profenofos poisoning

32. Current view of OPs in relation to Rx
Diethyl OPs - toxic but responsive to PAM
Dimethyl OPs - less toxic but less responsive
S-linked OPs - less toxic but not responsive
Pralidoxime seems to work for some OPs, not for others

33. An RCT of high-dose pralidoxime in acute symptomatic organophosphorus pesticide self-poisoning
Patients: all patients (>13yrs, not pregnant) with a
history of OP self-poisoning and symptoms/
signs consistent with Dx.
Outcome: vital status at discharge
Power: to detect a reduction in all-cause mortality
from 25% to 19%, 750 patients must be
recruited to each arm of the study (1500 in total)
Rx: - saline placebo bolus and infusion.
- bolus of 2g pralidoxime chloride followed by an
infusion of 500mg/hr for up to 7 days.

38. Chlorpyrifos poisoning

39. Parathion reactivation

40. Variation between OPs might be the reason why earlier trials did not find benefit from pralidoxime

41. Another reason may be time to onset of poisoning
If the patient becomes severely ill SOON after ingestion, they may well lose consciousness and aspirate the pesticide, or stop breathing and suffer hypoxic brain damage, before hospital admission.
In this case, patients will die in hospital from aspiration pneumonia or hypoxic brain damage.
Provision of antidotes including pralidoxime will then be irrelevant.

42. Lancet 368: 2136
A recent study carried out by S Pawar and colleagues in Baramati, Maharashtra, suggests that very high doses of pralidoxime iodide may benefit many patients with diEthyl and diMethyl OP poisoning who present early
RCT of 200 patients
All received 2g loading dose,
then for 48hrs
either 1g infused over 1 hr every 1 hr
or 1g infused over 1 hr every 4 hrs
followed by 1g every 4 hours until off ventilator

43. Pawar - usual dose arm

44. Pawar - high dose arm

45. Results Case fatality: 8% in control group 1% in high dose group
Ventilation: median time 10 hrs in control group
median time 3 hrs in high dose group
Interestingly, seemed to work for both dimethoate (diMethyl OP) and chlorpyrifos (diEthyl OP).
The patients seem to have been moderately poisoned, with severely poisoned patients excluded.
? Valid for severely poisoned patients?

46. Different experiences of oxime use
Baramati – good effect
– using PAM for all moderately ill cases
CMC Vellore – no clinical benefit/adverse effect
– not using PAM anymore
– yet excellent CFR in ICU (~8%)
Sri Lanka – little clinical benefit
– using bolus doses of PAM
– high CFR in ICU (~40%)

47. Different experiences of oxime use
Baramati – early presentation (median: 2hrs)
– excellent supportive care
– benefit for both diM and diE OPs
CMC Vellore – late presentation (median: 10-12hrs)
– most patients have taken diM OPs
Sri Lanka – early presentation (median:3-4hrs)
– very poor supportive care
– biochemical effect only with diE OPs

48. Conclusions
The ideal regimen is likely to involve high doses and a bolus dose followed by an infusion
However
the evidence base for pralidoxime use is weak
There is variable biochemical response to oximes by AChE inhibited by different OPs.
Some OPs may not respond at all
The time to presentation will affect whether pralidoxime is effective