Open AccessAn Unusual Complication of Cocaine Toxicity
Author(s) -
Lucy Houghton,
Quentin Jones,
Chris Wathen
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
acute medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.14
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1747-4892
pISSN - 1747-4884
DOI - 10.52964/amja.0295
Subject(s) - medicine , anesthesia , methylene blue , methemoglobin , complication , emergency department , methemoglobinemia , surgery , hemoglobin , psychiatry , biochemistry , chemistry , photocatalysis , catalysis
A 25-year man presented to the Accident and Emergency Department complaining of dizziness and shortness of breath after taking 70 grams of cocaine over 10 hours. He said a friend had noticed that his skin had turned dark blue. On examination the patient was severely centrally and peripherally cyanosed. His pulse oximeter oxygen saturations were 88% on air. An arterial blood gas showed a methaemoglobin level of 45.6%. The patient was diagnosed with cocaineinduced methaemoglobinaemia and given methyl thioninium chloride (methylene blue). He made an uneventful recovery.