A FATAL CASE OF ACUTE FERRIC-CHLORIDE POISONING

Death from ferric chloride poisoning has never been reported in Taiwan . We report a fatality from the suicidal ingestion of ferric chloride solution used as an etching agent for printed circuitry. old woman pre sented with vomiting after ingestion of 200 mi ferric chloride solutio n (ph 1.0). hypoxemia and severe metabolic acidosis with respiratory a lkalosis initially. Three hours after her ingestion she presented with drowsy consciousness, tachycardia, tachypnea and protracted vomiting. Laboratory studies showed leukocytosis, elevated glucose, aspartate a minotransferase, amylase, lactate dehydrogenase, and total bilirubin, coagulation defect and hemolysis. Aspiration pneumonia and vision loss were also noted. Four hours after ingestion cardiopulmonary arrest su ddenly occurred after severe vomiting and she expired. Toxicological s tudies showed marked elevation of serum Iron (2440 mu g/dl); the estim ated oral dose of ferric chloride was equivalent to 11.52 g (230 mg/kg ) of elemental iron. This patient did not receive deferoxamine due to rapid deterioration and a late diagnosis. Deferoxamine should be given In any symptomatic patient or in the presence of anion gap metabolic acidosis with a history of ferric chloride ingestion.