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Dear Editor,
We present a case of non-fatal poisoning with oleander decoction in a 24-year-old pregnant woman. Nerium oleander, an evergreen ornamental plant, native in the Mediterranean, is cultivated worldwide particularly in warm temperate and subtropical areas. Elsewhere, where the shrub is not frost-tolerant, e.g. in Central and Western Europe, it may be grown as a conservatory plant.1 The plant is grown throughout Iran and is more common in eastern and southern provinces.2 Application of oleander as a pharmaceutical product, rodenticide, and insecticide has been widely recognized.3,4 Parts of the plant can be ingested accidentally or used in suicidal attempts, leading to oleander poisoning, with gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea) and cardiovascular symptoms [sinus bradycardia, atrioventricular (AV) block and fibrillation].5 A 24- year-old pregnant woman was brought to the Emergency Department of Faghihi Hospital affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Shiraz, southern Iran with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malaise and abdominal pain of approximately 4 hours' duration. Her symptoms started few minutes after ingesting oleander decoction in order to induce abortion. Also she was complaining of blurred vision, diplopia, dizziness, palpitation and numbness of fingers and toes. On physical examination, she had normal range blood pressure...