Cardiac arrest following butane inhalation

Abstract

Butane is a commonly misused volatile agent, and a cause of intoxication. We present a case, who had a syncope and persistent ventricular fibrillation during the course of resuscitation. We discussed the management of this case in the intensive care unit and the accompanying difficulties in the light of the current literature.

Keywords: Butane; cardiac arrest; hypoxic encephalopathy; industrial gas; intoxication.

Figure 1

(a) Axial computerized tomography of the brain shows mild cerebral edema with effacement of cerebral sulci. (b) Plain chest radiography of the patient shows mild congestion

Figure 2

Axial magnetic resonance images show subacute ischemic infarction. (a) Long, black arrow shows the hyperintensity on T1-weighted image in left occipital lobe; short, white arrows show surrounding edema. (b) Black arrow shows almost homogenically hyperintense area on diffusion-weighted image in right occipital lobe