[Cardiovascular arrest after inhalation of leather glue]

We are dealing with the rare case of a cardiac arrest of a 44 year old man, who has been using shoemakers glue. It could be proved in retrospect that the cause was the inhalation of trichlorethylene due to insufficient ventilating of the working place. The problem of this case was that at first the malign disorder of cardiac rhythm as well as the patient's state of coma did not provide any hint at the aetiology of the illness. By means of differential diagnosis we had to think of a myocardial infarction or a cerebral incident in the first place. Only by means of outside and self anamnesis could conclusions be drawn revealing a chronic poisoning at the working place. In particular an organic solvent, especially trichlorethylene as well as toluol was taken into consideration, the poisoning through trichlorethylene being proved conclusively. Other causes could be eliminated considering the clinical development and diagnostic parameter.