Studies on Acute and Chronic Toxicity of Tetraethyl Ammonium Ion (Etamon)

Studies were done using dogs to determine: (1) the ED50 of Etamon when given as an infusion over 30 minutes; (2) the possibility of an accumulative toxicity when Etamon is given in multiple small doses over long periods of time; and (3) the effect of various measures in preventing death after the administration of a lethal dose (LD100) of Etamon. The ED50 of Etamon given as an infusion was found to be nearly twice that of Etamon given as a fast injection intravenously. There seemed to be an accumulative toxic effect following the use of Etamon in multiple small doses over a long period of time as evidenced by the difference between the ED50 of those receiving a single large infusion and those receiving multiple small infusions. Intermittent controlled positive pressure respirations were found to be effective in preventing death after the infusion of a lethal dose of Etamon.