Delayed onset of liver injury after intentional chloroform overdose: a case report and literature review
Panetta, M.; Brightmore, A.; Waring, W.S.
Acute Medicine 18(3): 192-196
2019
ISSN/ISBN: 1747-4884 PMID: 31536058 Document Number: 17956
Chloroform is a recognised cause of acute liver injury, although now rarely encountered in clinical practice. We present a case of inhalational chloroform self-poisoning in a 47-year-old man that presented to hospital initially with reduced conscious level and later developed acute liver injury that was treated with intravenous acetylcysteine. This paper reviews the existing literature and presents a summary of the mechanisms of chloroform hepatotoxicity. Published cases show that there is a characteristic delay of 24 to 48 hours between chloroform exposure and elevation of liver transaminase activity. Therefore, clinicians need to provide an appropriate duration of monitoring in order to detect the occurrence of this important toxic effect.
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