Case historyĪ 29-year-old man, weight 85 kg, height 180 cm, was seen by emergency staff 8 min after being alerted by the patient's father.

His blood alcohol level was 270 mg.dl −1. We report the successful treatment of a patient with a whole blood cyanide level of 6.9 mg.l −1. Whole blood cyanide levels in excess of 2.5 mg.l −1 are associated with coma and are potentially lethal.

The lethal oral dose of cyanide salts is 200–300 mg. Ĭyanide is a potent oral poison producing symptoms in minutes and death in minutes to hours. It is well known to the public for its use in concentration camps in the World War II, homicidal disasters or the cyanide Tylenol deaths which occurred in the United States in 1982. In healthy individuals, cyanide appears in the blood under normal conditions as a result of vitamin B metabolism and environmental factors such as food or smoking. Cyanide is one of the earliest organic molecules ever detected in space and is an essential precursor in the synthesis of amino acids, purines and pyrimidines.

Potassium cyanide antidote