Abstract
Acquired methemoglobinaemia is a relatively rare condition and, therefore infrequently encountered in acute medical practice. Suspicion of the condition may be triggered when the measured PaO2 is ‘out of keeping’ with the oxygen saturations that are discovered with pulse oximetry. We describe two separate cases of acquired methemoglobinaemia secondary to the recreational use of alkyl nitrites (’poppers’). The patients presented at separate times to two different teaching hospitals in London, UK. The similarity of these cases has led the authors to conclude that a raised awareness of this potentially fatal condition, and its association with a widely-available recreational drug, is necessary to ensure a correct and timely diagnosis.
Publication Date
9-4-2012
First Page
237
Last Page
241
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Al-Lawati, Adil and Murch, Nick
(2012)
"Acquired Methemoglobinaemia,"
Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal: Vol. 12: 237-241.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18295/2075-0528.1371
