Chloroquine overdose is commonly fatal in children.1 We report here such a case in which peritoneal dialysis was tried. Analyses of tissues, serum, urine, and dialysate for chloroquine confirmed the diagnosis and indicated that little of this drug was removed from the body by dialysis.
CASE REPORT
A healthy 28-month-old black boy weighing 17.17 kg was seen holding two 500-mg chloroquine diphosphate (Aralen) tablets from a relative's purse about 3:30 PM one afternoon. One-half hour later he was found unconscious and was brought to the Children's Hospital, arriving at 5 PM apneic and with fixed, dilated pupils. It was stated that breathing stopped just before arrival.
