2022 Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 598-601
A 34-year-old man ingested ethylene glycol during a suicide attempt and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The patient was transported to the nearest emergency center, where tests showed that the ingested dose of ethylene glycol was potentially lethal. The Advanced Emergency Center decided to accept the patient transported by Doctor Helicopter and procured fomepizole. Hemodialysis and fomepizole therapy were initiated after 6 hours following ethylene glycol ingestion. Metabolic acidosis was observed at the time of admission but improved after starting treatment. The patient was transferred to a psychiatric hospital on the seventh day of admission, without any renal impairment. Ethylene glycol poisoning can cause metabolic acidosis and acute tubular necrosis, which can be fatal if treatment is delayed. It is important to start intensive care as soon as possible through inter-hospital and intra-hospital multidisciplinary cooperation in order to save patients’ lives.
