Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology
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Case Reports
Acute chloroform ingestion successfully treated with intravenously administered N-acetylcysteine.
Chloroform, a halogenated hydrocarbon, causes central nervous system depression, cardiac arrhythmias, and hepatotoxicity. We describe a case of chloroform ingestion with a confirmatory serum level and resultant hepatotoxicity successfully treated with intravenously administered N-acetylcysteine (NAC). A 19-year-old man attempting suicide ingested approximately 75 mL of chloroform. ⋯ Previous reports describe survival after treatment with orally administered NAC, we report the first use of intravenously administered NAC for chloroform ingestion. Acute oral ingestion of chloroform is extremely rare. Our case illustrates that with appropriate supportive care, patients can recover from chloroform ingestion, and intravenously administered NAC may be of benefit in such cases.
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More than 2 million Americans use cocaine each month (National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Department of Health and Human Services: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) & Office of Applied Studies (OAS), Rockville, MD 2007). Starting in early 2003, South American cocaine cartels began to add levamisole, a pharmaceutical agent, to bulk cocaine prior to shipment to the USA (Valentino and Fuentecilla 2005). A dramatic increase in the prevalence of levamisole in cocaine was noted in early 2008. ⋯ The residue in the patient's crack pipe contained 10% levamisole. Subsequently, levamisole was detected in the patient's urine. Levamisole-associated agranulocytosis should be considered in the diagnosis of patients who present with neutropenia and a history or evidence of cocaine use.
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Hydroxocobalamin is a new antidote approved by the FDA for the treatment of cyanide poisoning. Our report describes a patient with cyanide poisoning who survived after treatment with hydroxocobalamin and complications we encountered with hemodialysis. A 34-year-old female presented to the emergency department after a syncopal event and seizures. ⋯ Her urinary thiocyanate level could not be analyzed due to an "interfering substance". Hydroxocobalamin is an effective antidote. However, clinicians must be aware of its effects on hemodialysis machines which could delay the initiation of this important treatment modality in the severely acidemic patient.
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Case Reports
Massive ethylene glycol ingestion treated with fomepizole alone-a viable therapeutic option.
Fomepizole is used to treat and prevent toxicity from ethylene glycol poisoning. Treatment with fomepizole without hemodialysis in massive ethylene glycol ingestion has been rarely reported in the literature; however, published literature and practice guidelines recommend considering dialysis for ethylene glycol levels >50 mg/dL. We report a case of massive ethylene glycol ingestion resulting in the highest serum ethylene glycol concentration in a patient without ethanol co-ingestion who was treated with fomepizole and was not hemodialyzed. ⋯ Published literature and practice guidelines suggests considering hemodialysis initiation in patients with an ethylene glycol level > 50 mg/dL. This recommendation is anecdotally, rather than evidence, based. With the potential risks inherent in hemodialysis, our case provides evidence that treatment with fomepizole without hemodialysis appears to be a viable alternative option in patients with even extremely high plasma ethylene glycol concentrations as long as their renal function is intact.
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Levosimendan (Levo) increases sensitivity of troponin-C to calcium, thus increasing myocardial contractility. It is also a vascular K+-ATP channel agonist producing peripheral vasodilation. Previous research with levosimendan revealed an increase in cardiac output (CO) but not blood pressure (BP) in experimental verapamil poisoning. ⋯ Levosimendan moderately improved CO but not BP in verapamil poisoning. The hypotensive effects of levosimendan were not overcome by coadministration of either 4-AP or CaCl₂. Levosimendan may not be an appropriate agent to use in the treatment of verapamil poisoning.