Multiple lead appendoliths following ingestion of lead shot: time course and removal by laporoscopic appendectomy.

Systemic lead poisoning may occur from ingested lead foreign bodies. Rarely, these may cause a retained appendolith. The risks of lead toxicity from these appendoliths, the time course of retention in the appendix, the rapidity of inhibition of heme synthesis, and the best approach to removal remain controversial.

Poison control centers decrease emergency healthcare utilization costs.

Introduction: Patient home management by a regional poison control center has potential to save public healthcare dollars by preventing unnecessary utilization of emergency department services. We wished to conservatively quantify such savings at a large regional poison center and compare savings to funds received in state support.

Methods: Banner Poison Control Center (BPCC) serves a population of about four million in central AZ.