Fatal Ingestion of Chlumsky Disinfectant Solution
Language English Country United States Media print-electronic
Document type Case Reports, Journal Article
- Keywords
- Chlumsky disinfectant solution, camphor, fatal iatrogenic indigestion, forensic pathology, forensic science, phenol, pregnant woman,
- MeSH
- Medical Errors * MeSH
- Disinfectants poisoning MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Phenol blood MeSH
- Glucose Tolerance Test MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry MeSH
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Case Reports MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Disinfectants MeSH
- Phenol MeSH
A 32-year-old pregnant woman in the 25th week of pregnancy underwent oral glucose tolerance screening at the diabetologist's. Later that day, she was found dead in her apartment possibly poisoned with Chlumsky disinfectant solution (solutio phenoli camphorata). An autopsy revealed chemical burns in the digestive system. The lungs and the brain showed signs of severe edema. The blood of the woman and fetus was analyzed using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and revealed phenol, its metabolites (phenyl glucuronide and phenyl sulfate) and camphor. No ethanol was found in the blood samples. Both phenol and camphor are contained in Chlumsky disinfectant solution, which is used for disinfecting surgical equipment in healthcare facilities. Further investigation revealed that the deceased woman had been accidentally administered a disinfectant instead of a glucose solution by the nurse, which resulted in acute intoxication followed by the death of the pregnant woman and the fetus.
Department of Anatomy Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University CZ 625 00 Brno Czech Republic
Department of Forensic Medicine University Hospital Ostrava CZ 708 52 Ostrava Czech Republic
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