Botulinum Toxin PoisoningModule information
Prevention
Screening
Diagnosis
Consultation for Diagnosis
Hospitalization
Non-drug Therapy
Drug Therapy
Patient Education
Consultation for Management
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Patient Education

Inform patients about prevention, details of treatment, time course of recovery, and prognosis of botulinum toxin poisoning. C

  • Warn patients that foodborne botulism comes from improperly prepared food, particularly home-canned tomatoes, cheese, oils, garlic, canned corn, green beans, peppers, soups, asparagus, chicken liver or pate, sausage, ham, lobster, and salted or fermented fish or meat.
  • Tell patients that botulinum toxin is inactivated by heating and therefore food should be cooked thoroughly at an adequate temperature.
  • Advise patients about:
    • Details of drug therapy and its side effects
    • Importance of supportive care and rehabilitation
    • Time course of recovery over several weeks to months
    • Good prognosis for recovery
    • Complete recovery of function, which will occur as nerve terminals recover
  • Inform patients that following recovery from botulism, they will not mount an immune response against the botulinum toxin and can develop botulism again if they consume food containing the toxin.
  • Tell individuals who inject heroin that they are at risk of developing wound botulism from local skin abscesses and inform them of the early signs and symptoms.
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The American College of Physicians is accredited by the Accreditation Council for continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing education for physicians. The American College of Physicians designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Purpose: This activity has been developed for internists to facilitate the highest quality professional work in clinical applications, teaching, consultation, or research. Upon completion of the CME activity, participants should be able to demonstrate an increase in the skills and knowledge required to maintain competence, strengthen their habits of critical inquiry and balanced judgement, and to contribute to better patient care. Disclosures: Larry E. Davis, MD, FACN, FACP received honorarium from Merck & Co., provided expert testimony, received grants from the VA, NIH, and the University of New Mexico, received royalties from Fundamentals of Neurologic Disease. Deborah Korenstein, MD, FACP, Co-Editor, PIER, has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Richard B. Lynn, MD, FACP, Co-Editor, PIER, has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations.


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