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Four Adolescents Were Hospitalized In Winnipeg In Summer 2006

All Four Were Seen At The Children's Hospital Of Winnipeg

The Oldest Was A 16 Year Old Boy Who Was Disoriented And Combative

A 13 Year Old Boy Arrived Combative And Hallucinating

Another Boy Aged 14 Came In Because Of Hallucinations

Police Brought In A 13 Year Old Girl

Each Of Them Had Intentionally Ingested Datura Seeds

The Authors Write That All Four Tried The Seeds Expecting To Get High

Hospital Records Show Four Findings In Every Patient

All Four Had Lowered Consciousness On The Glasgow Coma Scale

Visual Hallucinations Were Also Present In Every Case

Agitation Was Present In Each Patient As Well

Dilated Pupils Measured 5 To 6 Millimeters Across

Normal Pupils Measure 2 To 3 Millimeters

The Authors Call The Mental Changes Characteristic Of Delirium

Delirium Is A State Of Altered Consciousness

Its Onset Is Usually Quick

The Patients Were Too Combative To Be Given Drugs Through A Vein

Their Sedatives Were Injected Into Muscle Instead

Sedation And Restraints Were Enough To Treat Them

One Boy Went To Intensive Care For Monitoring After Sedatives

Hospital Stays Averaged Two Days

No Serious Complications Occurred During Those Stays

A Full Recovery Was Noted In All Four

Datura Stramonium Is A Member Of The Nightshade Family

Virginia Tech Lists The Plant As A Major Weed Of Many Crops

Datura Grows Widely Across The United States

It Also Grows In Southern Canada

In Winnipeg The Plant Has Been Planted For Its Aesthetic Appeal

The Plant Is Known By A Variety Of Names

Jimsonweed Is The Most Common Name

That Name Is A Shortened Form Of Jamestown Weed

It Was Named After The First Recorded Accidental Ingestion

That Ingestion Occurred In Jamestown Virginia In 1676

Thorn Apple Is Another Name For The Same Plant

It Is An Annual That Can Reach Five To Six Feet

Its Leaves Have Deep Irregular Teeth

The Trumpet Flowers Are White To Light Purple

Those Flowers Usually Point Upward

Spines Densely Cover Its Seed Pod

Inside The Pod Are Brown Black Seeds

The Seeds Contain The Most Alkaloid

All Parts Of The Plant Are Toxic According To EDDMapS

Intentional Seed Ingestion May Cause Unintentional Poisoning

Datura Ingestion Results In Anticholinergic Poisoning

This Poisoning Works By Blocking Acetylcholine

The Signs Usually Appear Within 1 To 4 Hours Of Ingestion

Early Complaints May Include Dry Mouth And Thirst

Patients May Also Report Blurred Vision And Light Sensitivity

Confusion And Restlessness May Also Appear

Skin May Look Flushed And Dry

A Fast Heart Rate Is One Possible Physical Finding

Body Temperature May Also Be High

Urinary Retention Is Common

Dilated Pupils Can Persist For Days

Neurological Examination May Reveal Delirium And Hallucinations

Seizures And Coma May Develop In Severe Cases

A Mnemonic For Anticholinergic Toxicity Also Applies To Datura

Its First Phrases Are Hot As A Hare And Blind As A Bat

Next Come Dry As A Bone And Red As A Beet

Mad As A Hatter Is The Last Phrase

The Authors Close Their Summary With Advice For Health Care Workers

They Say To Consider Anticholinergic Plants When Delirium Is Sudden