Tag: Respiratory paralysis

According to a 2009 analysis cited by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) like vecuronium were involved in medication errors that caused patient harm at a significantly higher rate than other wrong-drug errors. This places **vecuronium** on the list of high-alert medications, which are drugs that bear a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm when used in error. The primary danger lies in its potent ability to paralyze muscles, including those essential for breathing, which can be fatal if the patient is not properly ventilated.

Famously used to execute the Greek philosopher Socrates, coniine is a potent neurotoxin that causes devastating effects by disrupting the body's nervous system, ultimately leading to fatal respiratory paralysis. Found primarily in the poison hemlock plant (*Conium maculatum*), ingestion can lead to a severe and rapid poisoning cascade.