Nitromethane-containing fuel toxicity causing falsely elevated serum creatinine

Cholesterol crystals causing falsely elevated automated cell count.

This is a report of 3 cases of body fluid containing numerous cholesterol crystals that caused falsely elevated cell counts on an automated cell counter. Two of the cases were pleural effusion fluid from patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis. Fluid in the third case was from upper extremity cystic lesions of a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Microscopic exa...

Falsely high serum creatinine concentration associated with severe methanol intoxication.

A case of severe methanol intoxication (1300 mg/L) was associated with markedly increased serum creatinine (490 mg/L) despite normal urea values and the absence of any other signs of renal disease. These values declined progressively to normal, and the patient recovered with no visual impairment. Additional laboratory experimentation suggested that the high creatinine value was probably ascriba...

Falsely increased values for serum creatinine during therapy with cefoxitin.

Falsely elevated troponin levels.

To diagnose a myocardial infarction, an increase and/or fall in troponin values by at least one value > the 99th percentile in a healthy reference population is required, combined with other ischaemic signs or symptoms (1). Troponin T and troponin I are considered equal in diagnostics of myocardial infarction. There is only one manufacturer of tests for troponin T and thus only one reference ra...

False elevation of serum creatinine following skin absorption of nitromethane complicates the clinical diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis.

A patient had extensive blunt trauma from a high-speed crash in which nitromethane fuel erupted from the fuel tank and soaked into his protective multilayer jumpsuit. The clinical diagnosis was complicated because the absorption of nitromethane fuel through the skin and by inhalation falsely increased the serum creatinine value when a modified Jaffe reaction was used in the laboratory. This spu...