M. Piagnerelli et al., Diagnosis and treatment of an unusual cause of metabolic acidiosis: Ethylene glycol poisoning, ACT CLIN B, 54(6), 1999, pp. 351-356
Ethylene glycol intoxication is a rare but dangerous type of poisoning.
It causes a severe acidosis with high anion and osmolal gaps.
Clinical manifestations of the ethylene glycol intoxication can be divided
in three phases: a neurologic stage, with hallucinations, stupor and coma;
the second stage is cardiovascular with cardiac failure. Renal failure char
acterizes the third stage, due to acute tubular necrosis.
After aggressive gastric emptying, the main treatment is ethanol or 4-methy
pyrazole, which can be given either orally or intravenous, with supportive
measures for all symptoms or diseased organ.