Emergency abdominal surgery and colchicine overdose

摘要

We report a case of a patient with an unrecognized colchicine overdose presenting to the emergency department with acute abdominal symptoms rapidly progressing to multiorgan failure. The patient died 16 h after a negative explorative laparotomy despite intensive supportive care. The problem of colchicine overdose is briefly discussed. We suggest that surgeons should be aware of the clinical presentation of colchicine overdose as it can mimic acute abdominal diseases.Keywords: Acute abdomen, colchicine, emergency surgery