Prolonged Coma in Barbiturate Poisoning

In 1954 the recorded deaths from barbiturate poisoning in England and ^ were 574 and non-fatal cases were assessed as 6,000 (Locket, 1956). In spite of large number of reported cases in the literature, there were few in which coma1 prolonged for more than a week. The Medical Journal of Australia (1934) menti"' a case of ten days' duration, McElligott (1955) cited another of ten days, Shulman^ (1955) described one of twelve days, Rogerson (1955) reported an eleven-day c" and Lorraine (1954) reported a case with a ten-day coma treated with massive & of strychnine. Greater interest has been shown in barbiturate poisoning since /3-methyl-/?-6' glutarimide (Megimide) was introduced into therapy by Shaw (1954) and in the' of prolonged coma reported below this drug was used with apparent benefit.