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Freon: accidental ingestion and gastric perforation
Mariano Javier Gotelli1, Alberto Juan Monserrat, Alfredo Lo Balbo
1Centro de Investigaciones Toxicológicas, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Introduction:
Freons generally have a low order of toxicity, but exposure to relatively high concentrations (>100 ppm) may produce adverse effects on health. Currently, intoxication reports are unintentional inhalation of CFCs. We report an unintentional ingestion of a mixture of CFCs and the results of a rat study.
Case Report:
A 43-year-old man was admitted to the Emergency Department with a chief complaint of acute abdominal pain that developed minutes after he ingested a clear liquid in a water glass, which contained a mixture of Freon and water. Subsequent surgical evaluation revealed perforation of the stomach and necrosis of the stomach wall. He developed a transient rise in his hepatic transaminases, which resolved spontaneously, and fully recovered from his surgery.
Methods:
A murine model of the injury was created to evaluate threshold concentration and effect of time on injury grade.
Results:
Injury grade increased with delay to histologic analysis from 8 to 24 hours after exposure to Freon. Increasing amounts of Freon also increased the lesion grade score.
Conclusions:
Patients ingesting Freon need to be closely evaluated for risk of gastric damage and perforation.
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