Fatal Methaemoglobinaemia Due To Intentional Sodium Nitrite Poisoning

Fatal methaemoglobinaemia in a dental nurse. A case of sodium nitrite poisoning.

Methaemoglobinaemia may be caused by ingestion of a number of drugs, among them nitrites, some of which are remarkably toxic. This was tragically highlighted by the death of a 17 year old dental nurse after taking a single 1 g tablet of sodium nitrite. These tablets are widely used in the medical and dental profession to prevent rusting of instruments while immersed in disinfectant solutions. T...

Severe Methemoglobinemia due to Sodium Nitrite Poisoning

Case. We report a case of severe methemoglobinemia due to sodium nitrite poisoning. A 28-year-old man was brought to our emergency department because of transient loss of consciousness and cyanosis. He was immediately intubated and ventilated with 100% oxygen. A blood test revealed a methemoglobin level of 92.5%. Outcome. We treated the patient with gastric lavage, activated charcoal, and methy...

Nitrite-induced methaemoglobinaemia.

Three patients developed methaemoglobinaemia after eating meat contaminated with excessive nitrites. Diagnosis was delayed in the first two mild cases but was promptly made in the third most severely affected case.

Methaemoglobinaemia as a result of sodium nitrate poisoning.

Acute methaemoglobinaemia secondary to intentional dapsone overdose.

Methaemoglobinaemia is a rare but potentially life-threatening hemoglobinopathy. It is characterized by cyanosis that is not responsive to oxygen therapy. We report a case of acute methaemoglobinaemia secondary to intentional dapsone overdose. A 34 year old lady presented to our institution with a history of sudden onset of dyspnoea. Her level of consciousness had reportedly deteriorated dramat...