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From: jack@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.med
Subject: Re: Butane death
Message-ID: <3460@midway.cs.glasgow.ac.uk>
Date: 22 Sep 89 19:26:50 GMT
References: <4655@cps3xx.UUCP> <9977@multimax.Encore.COM>
Reply-To: jack@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
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devoz@multimax.UUCP (Joe DeVincentis,EFD TR 75S TR 4S TL 1S TL,2622,7568004)
                                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
quoted this, after a short discussion:       ^ what is this stuff? ^

>> Today in Pennsylvania, a 15 year old died of a heart attack when he
>> inhaled butane in order to "get a rush".

Nobody over there seems to believe this was a heart attack.  In the UK this
is a fairly frequent occurrence with people who inhale butane or solvents.
The usual explanation is that these substances make the heart likely to go
into fibrillation after strenuous exertion, like a sprint to get away from
a cop.  (So, not an infarction, but near enough).  I suppose the reason
this isn't mentioned in anaesthesiology books is that surgical patients
aren't often required to run round the recovery room when they wake up.  I
think other drugs (amphetamine?) can make it even more likely when combined
with glue.
-- 
Jack Campin  *  Computing Science Department, Glasgow University, 17 Lilybank
Gardens, Glasgow G12 8QQ, SCOTLAND.    041 339 8855 x6045 wk  041 556 1878 ho
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