MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Antifreeze

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Antifreeze

Contents of this page:
Definition Poisonous Ingredient Where Found Symptoms Home Care	Before Calling Emergency Poison Control What to Expect at the Emergency Room Outlook (Prognosis)

Definition

This is poisoning caused by swallowing antifreeze.

Poisonous Ingredient

Ethylene glycol
Methanol
Propylene glycol

Where Found

Various antifreezes

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

Bladder and kidneys
- No urine output
- Blood in urine
Lungs
- Rapid breathing
- Stop breathing
Skin
- Blue lips and fingernails
Gastrointestinal
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Heart and blood
- Rapid heartbeat
- Low blood pressure
- Convulsions
Nervous system
- Headache
- Stupor (lack of alertness)
- Unconsciousness
- Slurred speech
- Unsteady walk
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Coma
- Dizziness
Muscles and joints
- Leg cramps
Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- Blurred vision
- Blindness

Home Care

There are no home treatments. Use standard first-aid and CPR for signs of shock or cardiac arrest. Call your local Poison Control Center or 911 for further assistance.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

Patient's age, weight, and condition
Name of product (as well as the ingredients and strength, if known)
Time it was swallowed
Amount swallowed

Poison Control

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called 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. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See National Poison Control center.

What to Expect at the Emergency Room

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The patient may receive:

Dialysis
Medicines to treat symptoms
Ethanol or fomepizole -- medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison
A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach ( gastric lavage)

Outlook (Prognosis)

For ethylene glycol: Death may occur within the first 24 hours. If patient survives, there may be little or no urine output for several weeks before the kidneys recover. Any brain damage may be permanent. Visual loss and or blindness may also be permanent

For methanol: Methanol is extremely toxic. As little as 2 TABLEspoons can kill a child, while 2 to 8 oz. can be deadly for an adult. The ultimate outcome depends on how much was swallowed and how soon appropriate care was given.

Update Date: 2/28/2006

Updated by: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-RooseveltHospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed HealthcareNetwork.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2008, A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.