Severe neurological symptoms following synthetic cannabinoid intoxication

Synthetic cannabinoids are becoming increasingly popular as substances of abuse. However, in the Netherlands synthetic cannabinoid intoxications are rare. We report a 16-year-old male who became deeply comatose and was admitted to the intensive care unit for invasive mechanical ventilation after abuse of an initially unknown drug. Routine toxicology screening with an immunoassay only detected tetrahydrocannabinol, but additional tests with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry revealed synthetic cannabinoid use. This case underlines the challenging diagnosis of synthetic cannabinoid intoxications and the severe complications they can produce.