Acute trichloroethylene poisoning by ingestion: clinical and pharmacokinetic aspects

Five hours after ingestion of an unknown amount of trichloroethylene (TCE) a 32-year-old woman was admitted to hospital in deep coma. The neurological condition remained unchanged for 3 days, after which there was an improvement of the central nervous system function. The concentrations of TCE in the blood, which were measured during 7 days after the solvent ingestion, gave us the opportunity to study some toxicokinetic parameters of TCE. Using a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model, the toxicokinetic parameters and blood concentrations of TCE are discussed in relation to the neurological conditions. Moreover the same model has suggested that the alveolar hyperventilation during the first 12 h following the TCE poisoning is the only treatment which may shorten the duration of the poisoning.