/CASE REPORTS/ The case of a 39-year-old woman, who was found vomiting and confused 7 hr after ingesting 59 mL of nail polish remover (/SRP: probably
nail glue remover not nail polish remover/) containing 99% acetonitrile (4 g/kg) /was reported/. About 12 hr after ingestion, she developed severe
metabolic acidosis, seizures and shallow respiration. Eight hours after ingestion she had a whole blood cyanide level of 3130 ug/L. At 65 hr the serum
cyanide level was 10 mg/L and thiocyanate was 120 mg/L, whereas at 77 hr they were 12 mg/L and 30 mg/L, respectively. She responded to the treatment
with sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulfate. Although she had several relapses, each time she responded to sodium thiosulfate administration. On the
fifth hospital day the cyanide level was 360 ug/L and thiocyanate level 30 mg/L and the patient was discharged on day six.
/CASE REPORTS/ A case of acute acetonitrile intoxication in a 26-year-old man who ingested 40 g of acetonitrile in a suicide attempt /was reported/.
After a 3 hr latent period, he suffered from vomiting, convulsions, coma, acute respiratory insufficiency, severe metabolic acidosis, and two cardiac
arrests. In addition to supportive treatment (oxygen, mechanical ventilation, correction of shock and acidosis), dicobalt EDTA, sodium nitrite, sodium
thiosulfate and hydroxocobalamin were also administered. His clinical course was complicated but he fully recovered 3 months later.
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