A fatal case of cannabis body-packing: About an autopsy case report

Abderrahim, Sarra Ben; Gharbaoui, Meriem; Zaara, Mohamed Amine; Harzallah, Hana; Allouche, Mohamed

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2020.102033

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Another potential consequence of missed body packing or body stuffing is toxic levels or even overdose of the ingested substance. Although cannabis is overall considered a relatively benign drug, there have been cases of neurologic complications and even death from cannabis body packing [7,10].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body stuffing during apprehension resulting in distal esophageal impaction: a case report and review of the literature

et al. 2022

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Background Body stuffing and body packing are two methods of concealing illicit drugs. Body stuffing is defined as the oral ingestion of illicit drugs, typically to avoid law enforcement detection or other consequences of possession, and may present a serious medical emergency in patients. Most commonly, body stuffers ingest possibly large or unknown quantities of illicit substances to avoid detection of the drugs during apprehension. This ingestion is typically hasty or impulsive, and therefore the substances ingested are rarely packaged in a way that would be considered safe for ingestion. Case presentation This case highlights a series of rare complications of impacted esophageal foreign body including esophageal edema, pericarditis, and hydro-pneumothorax for a 16-year-old Hispanic male who was booked into a county juvenile detention and rehabilitation facility. He complained of persistent intractable epigastric pain, along with pleuritic chest pain with multiple episodes of vomiting over the previous 4 days. He denied swallowing any foreign body. He underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and a plastic bag with content suspicious for marijuana was discovered in the distal esophagus and removed. Conclusions Failure to consider body stuffing and foreign body impaction in individuals during medical evaluation in detention centers with complaints of chest pain, abdominal pain, dysphagia, and/or certain toxidromes can delay diagnosis and lead to a variety of medical complications.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body stuffing during apprehension resulting in distal esophageal impaction: a case report and review of the literature

et al. 2022

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“…As packets are increasingly machine-made, they are more robust and usually pass through the body intact, making the onset of cocaine poisoning less likely to occur [7]. Mechanical complications related to the ingestion of foreign body ingestion such as bowel obstruction and or perforation are less frequently described but can have lethal consequences [6,8]. Overall, these complications are scarce, and French studies observed a rate of severe complications from 1.4 to 3.5% [3,4].…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Given the increase in illicit drug smuggling, emergency physicians should be aware of body-packing and its management. If powdered cocaine is the most observed drug in these cases, liquid cocaine and other illicit drugs can also be found, including cannabis, heroin, lysergic acid or synthetic cannabinoids [7,8,15].…”

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confidence: 99%