Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2010
Case ReportsFatal methaemoglobinaemia induced by self-poisoning with sodium nitrite.
Inadvertent ingestion of sodium nitrite is known to precipitate metheamoglobinaemia. No cases exist, however, of intentional suicide by methaemoglobinaemia following self-poisoning with sodium nitrite. A 76-year-old man collapsed and rapidly developed brady-asystolic cardiac arrest 25 min following self-poisoning with an unknown quantity of crystalline sodium nitrite. ⋯ Despite prolonged resuscitative efforts the patient died. Resuscitation from methaemoglobinaemia-induced asystole following self-poisoning presents a unique therapeutic challenge. Treatment of methaemoglobinaemia-induced cardiovascular instability and overt cardiopulmonary arrest are discussed.