Citation

Hantson P, Haufroid V, Mahieu P. Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol. 2000; 21(4): 335-338.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/00000433-200012000-00007

PMID

11111792

Abstract

Three fatalities caused by methanol ingestion are reported. Admission blood methanol concentrations ranged from 0.28 to 4.6 g/L. Two patients had been admitted after a significant delay (>20 hours), and one patient was observed within 90 minutes following ingestion. Formic acid levels were determined in blood samples at admission and ranged from 302 to 680 mg/L. The patients died 44, 55, and 82 hours after poisoning. Formic acid determinations in postmortem tissues were performed by a gas chromatograph method. The authors found great variability in formic acid distribution among the patients and among organs.

Language: en

Keywords

Acidosis/chemically induced/complications; Adult; Chromatography, Gas; Ethanol/therapeutic use; Fatal Outcome; Female; Formates/*blood; Humans; Male; Methanol/*poisoning; Middle Aged; Multiple Organ Failure/chemically induced; Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing/chemically induced; Renal Dialysis; Reproducibility of Results; Suicide; Time Factors; Tissue Distribution