PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - W J Gowans
TI  - Fatal methaemoglobinaemia in a dental nurse. A case of sodium nitrite poisoning.
DP  - 1990 Nov 01
TA  - British Journal of General Practice
PG  - 470--471
VI  - 40
IP  - 340
4099  - http://bjgp.org/content/40/340/470.short
4100  - http://bjgp.org/content/40/340/470.full
SO  - Br J Gen Pract1990 Nov 01; 40
AB  - Methaemoglobinaemia may be caused by ingestion of a number of drugs, among them nitrites, some of which are remarkably toxic. This was tragically highlighted by the death of a 17 year old dental nurse after taking a single 1 g tablet of sodium nitrite. These tablets are widely used in the medical and dental profession to prevent rusting of instruments while immersed in disinfectant solutions. The toxicity of this chemical should be more widely recognized and its storage made correspondingly more secure. Methaemoglobinaemia should be considered as a diagnosis in any patient with significant central cyanosis in whom there is no obvious cardiorespiratory cause.