This article is for information only. Do NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. If you or someone you are with has an exposure, call your local emergency number such as , or your local poison center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline from anywhere in the United States.
Bloody stools often are a sign of a problem in the digestive tract. Blood in the stool may come from anywhere along your digestive tract from your m Abdominal pain is pain that you feel anywhere between your chest and groin. This is often referred to as the stomach region or belly. Vomiting blood is regurgitating throwing up contents of the stomach that contains blood.
Vomited blood may appear either a bright red or dark red c Low blood pressure occurs when blood pressure is much lower than normal.
This means the heart, brain, and other parts of the body do not get enough Get medical help right away. Do NOT make the person throw up unless poison control or a health care provider tells you to.
If the lighter fluid is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes. If the person swallowed the lighter fluid, give them water or milk right away, if a provider tells you to do so. Do NOT give anything to drink if the person has symptoms that make it hard to swallow. These include vomiting, convulsions, or a decreased level of alertness.
Your local poison center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions. This is a free and confidential service. Days later he improved and was discharged with walking aid for his ataxia and a plan to followup with the neurology team for magnetic resonance imaging MRI of the brain and electroencephalogram EEG as an outpatient.
Butane gas is a part of the hydrocarbon group, which has the ability to cross any body tissue due to the high lipophilic characteristics [ 1 ]. It is available in pocket lighters, deodorants, or in-home gases [ 2 ]. It is a tragic cause of death in many cases usually due to refractory cardiac tachyarrhythmia by sensitizing the heart to catecholamines [ 3 — 5 ] and can cross to different organ tissues causing symptoms of toxicity [ 1 , 5 , 6 ].
Majority of the patients will die due to unwitnessed arrest [ 7 ] and delaying the appropriate resuscitation which has shown bad prognosis [ 6 ]. Early recognition and supportive treatment can make better outcome [ 5 , 8 ].
Our patient is an year-old male smoker who is not known to have any medical illnesses. One day he was with his friend at home inhaling butane gas out of a pocket lighter for the purpose of enjoying voice change, and then suddenly he collapsed and became unresponsive at home, which was witnessed by his family, and he was taken immediately to the hospital, 10 minutes away from his house. Upon arrival at the emergency department ED , he was found to be pulseless.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR was initiated and continued for three cycles following standard advanced cardiovascular life support ACLS guidelines.
Initially, the cardiac monitor showed a rhythm of ventricular fibrillation and he received two doses of joules of unsynchronized shocks. Chest X-ray, brain computed tomography CT , and echocardiography were unremarkable to any abnormal findings. Blood investigations including complete blood count CBC , metabolic panel, electrolytes, renal panel, and cardiac enzymes were all in the normal limits except for a mild metabolic acidosis in the venous blood gas. As he regained his consciousness after extubation he was found to be ataxic, disoriented, and confused.
At that time the patient was referred to our facility as a tertiary care health center for higher care. Upon presentation, to our hospital, the patient was vitally stable, confused, having short-term memory loss, ataxia, and disoriented to time and place.
CT brain was repeated and showed no acute brain insult, and blood investigations were overall unremarkable. The patient was assessed by the cardiologist and neurologist in the Emergency Department and the decision was made to admit him under cardiology care in the cardiac care unit CCU for rhythm monitoring and further workup.
The next day the neurology team performed a detailed neurological examination which showed the above-witnessed disorientation for time and place, short-term memory loss, and ataxia. At that time magnetic resonance imaging MRI and electroencephalogram EEG were ordered to rule out hypoxic brain injury vs.
By the fourth day in his hospital course, the patient improved, was conscious, oriented, and regained memory. He started mobilizing out of the bed with walking aid. No cardiac or neurological events were recorded during his hospital stay so he was discharged home with followup appointments for magnetic resonance imaging MRI and electroencephalogram EEG brain with neurology clinic.
We present this case of butane inhalation out of pocket lighter gas for a young boy. Butane gas is volatile and quickly caused hypoxia, which is linked to causing cardiac tachyarrhythmias. It is also highly lipophilic which eases its crossing of the brain and cardiac tissue causing neurological deficit or cardiac arrhythmias. Published literature shows that these patients die of ventricular fibrillation or live with bad neurological outcomes due to the delay in resuscitation or unrecognition of the cause.
Butane is highly flammable so there is a high risk of burns or explosions, particularly for smokers. Some butane users report suffering from slurred speech and slower reactions while they are using, but find that these symptoms do not continue once they stop.
Other people feel that butane abuse has contributed to longer-term physical or mental health issues. Avoid spraying directly into the mouth. Never cover your face with a mask or plastic bag this will lower the risk of suffocation. Other gases Propane is associated with the same health implications and serious risk of death as butane.
Nitrous oxide — see our nitrous oxide page here. Helium is not a volatile substance and does not cause intoxication. What is solvent abuse? Sign up to our newsletter. Log in with your credentials. Forgot your details?
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