Rapid toxicochemical analysis in phosphide intoxication cases

In recent years, phosphine and metal phosphides intoxications have been observed extremely rarely in clinical practice. Although rare, these intoxications have a severe clinical course, often with unclear clinical presentation at the beginning and possible lethal exit during the first hours or the next several days. Several tests for analysis of phosphide intoxication, based on the classical qualitative semimicroanalysis which do not require complex equipment, are presented and compared in this article. These tests contribute significantly to confirming the toxicology diagnosis and identifying the source. A rapid paper test (adopting the method of Chugh et al.) has been developed for the purposes of the routine toxicology practice to serve the practicing doctor, as quick and exact diagnostic orientation in cases with unclear history and clinical presentation of the intoxication