UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Toxicology

Title: Radiopaque Drugs on AxR

Keywords: iron, metals (PubMed Search)

Posted: 4/15/2010 by Fermin Barrueto, MD (Updated: 3/28/2024)
Click here to contact Fermin Barrueto, MD

Several drugs and compounds may be radiopaque on an abdominal radiograph. This may be helpful in an overdose to determine ingestion or amount ingested. Attached is a pic a patient that ingested potassium sustained release tables.

The mneumonic CHIPES will help you remember which are:

C - Calcium Carbonate, chloral hydrate

H - Heavy metal - like Mercury, lead

I - Iron and Iodine

P - Phenothiazines (compound that has S(C6H4)2NH in it), drugs that include: antipsychotics like chlorpromazine (thorazine) and antiemetics like prochlorperazine (compazine)

E - Enteric coated pills

S - Solvents [halogenated ones like chloroform] and Sustained Release preparations [Lithobid and K-Dur]


Attachments

1004150936_KCl_patient_1.JPG (182 Kb)