Citation

Fetu D, Carel N, Fossier T, Motreff C. Ann. Fr. Anesth. Reanim. 1994; 13(5): 745-748.

Vernacular Title

Intoxication a l'hydrate de chloral.

Affiliation

Service d'Anesthésie-Réanimation, Centre Hospitalier, Pontivy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7733528

Abstract

The intentional ingestion of 5 g of chloral hydrate by a 67-yr-old man resulted in cardiac arrhythmia including tachyarrhythmia and polymorphic ventricular extrasystoles. As the ingested agent was unknown at admission, the patient was treated among others with sodium lactate, a non validated therapy of arrhythmia caused by chloral hydrate overdose. The discontinuation of arrhythmia was in favour of a beneficial effect of this treatment which remains to be confirmed. This unusual therapy is the original point of this case report which allows to question the so-called innocuousness of chloral hydrate, to remind the conventional treatment of the arrhythmias caused by this agent, the place of beta-adrenergic blockers, as well as the therapeutic difficulties when the causative agent remains unknown.

Language: fr