J Korean Soc Emerg Med.
2013 Apr;24(2):254-257.
A Case of Chemical Pneumonitis with Gastrointestinal Disturbance Caused by Nitric Acid Inhalation
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea. drrhec@chungbuk.ac.kr
- 2Respiratory Center Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.
- 3Department of Emergency Medicine, Cheonan Medical Center, Cheonan, Korea.
Abstract
- Nitric acid is a typical strong acid that is colorless, corrosive, and flammable. It is often used for industrial purposes, such as refining, metal cleaning, and electroplating. In Korea, some cases of chemical pneumonitis from nitric acid poisoning have been reported, but to our knowledge, there have been no reports of diarrhea caused by nitric acid poisoning. A 42-year-old man visited a nearby hospital because of continuous diarrhea, coughing, and dyspnea after inhaling nitric acid fumes at his workplace the previous day. He was transferred to our hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit. He showed tachypnea and hypoxemia in our emergency department. Initial chest radiographs showed diffuse interstitial infiltrates and ground glass opacity in both lungs. The patient showed improvements in clinical symptoms and on chest radiographs after receiving oxygen and mechanical ventilation, antibiotics, and systemic glucocorticoid therapy. After 20 days he was discharged and showed no symptoms and sequelae on his 1-year follow-up.
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