MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Mercuric oxide

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Mercuric oxide

Contents of this page:
Definition Poisonous Ingredient Where Found Symptoms Home Treatment	Before Calling Emergency Poison Control, or a local emergency number What to expect at the emergency room Expectations (prognosis)

Definition

Poisoning from an overdose of mercuric oxide.

Poisonous Ingredient

Mercuric oxide

Where Found

Various button batteries (Batteries containing mercury are no longer marketed in the U.S.)
Some fungicides

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

Body as a whole
- Metallic taste
- Decreased urine output (may stop completely)
- Salivation
- Mouth sores
- Shock
Respiratory:
- Extreme difficulty breathing
- Swelling within the throat (may swell closed)
Gastrointestinal
- Abdominal pain (severe)
- Vomiting
- Bloody diarrhea

Home Treatment

If there has been an ingestion of a button battery, DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. The person who ingested the battery will need immediate X-rays at a medical facility to make sure the battery is not lodged in the esophagus.

Most swallowed batteries that pass through the esophagus will then pass in the stool without complication. However, batteries lodged in the esophagus can cause esophageal erosion and can cause a hole in the esophagus very quickly, so you must obtain a medical evaluation immediately after the battery is swallowed.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following:

the patient's age, weight, and condition
the name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known)
the time it was swallowed
the amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container with you to the emergency room.

If a button battery was ingested, you can call the 24-hour National Button Battery Ingestion Hotline at (202) 625-3333.

What to expect at the emergency room

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

The use gastric lavage
Upper GI endoscopy to retrieve a battery lodged in the esophagus
Administration of activated charcoal
Administration of a cathartic (a medication used to evacuate the bowels)
Administration of an antidote

Expectations (prognosis)

Prognosis depends upon the amount and route of exposure. Outcome from mercuric oxide overdose can range from complete recovery to irreversible organ damage or even death

Update Date: 5/12/2003

Updated by: Todd Severson, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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