Chloroform is a halogenated hydrocarbon that can cause hepatotoxicity. What antidote has been used to treat this condition?
According to the cited reference, NAC was used successfully to treat a hepatotoxicity associated with a chloroform ingestion in a 19 year-old-male. This patient reportedly ingested 75 mL of chloroform and presented to the emergency department with depressed mental status requiring immediate endotracheal intubation. The patient’s serum chloroform level on admission was 91 μg/mL. The patient’s liver function tests peaked at AST of 224 IU/L, ALT of 583 IU/L, and bilirubin level reaching 16.3 mg/dL, but ultimately returned to baseline after initiation of acetylcysteine.
Dell’Aglio, D.M., Sutter, M.E., Schwartz, M.D. et al. Acute Chloroform Ingestion Successfully Treated with Intravenously Administered N-acetylcysteine. J. Med. Toxicol. 6, 143–146 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-010-0071-0
Contributed by: Alexandra Fountaine