MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Antifreeze

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Antifreeze

Contents of this page:
Definition Poisonous Ingredient Where Found Symptoms Home Treatment	Before Calling Emergency Poison Control, or a local emergency number What to expect at the emergency room Expectations (prognosis)

Definition

Poisoning caused by ingestion of antifreeze.

Poisonous Ingredient

ethylene glycol
methanol

Where Found

various antifreezes

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

for ethylene glycol:

body as a whole
respiratory
- rapid breathing
skin
- blue lips and fingernails
gastrointestinal
- nausea and/or vomiting
heart and blood vessels
- rapid heartbeat
- low blood pressure
nervous system
- headache
- stupor
- unconsciousness
- slurred speech
- unsteady gait

for methanol:

body as a whole
- weakness
- leg cramps
- convulsions
respiratory
- rapid, shallow breathing
- stop breathing
eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- blurred vision
- blindness
- skin
- blue lips and fingernails
gastrointestinal
- nausea and/or vomiting
heart and blood vessels
- drop in blood pressure
nervous system
- coma
- fatigue
- headache
- dizziness

Home Treatment

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:

the patient's age, weight, and condition
the name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known)
the time it was swallowed
the amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital. See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Bring the poison container with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

Use gastric lavage.
Give an antidote (ethanol or fomepizole.)
Dialysis
Treat the symptoms.

Expectations (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.

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

Update Date: 2/23/2004

Updated by: Cherlin Johnson, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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