Hemodialysis in a patient with acute mercuric cyanide intoxication. Concentrations of mercury in blood, dialysate, urine, vomitus, and feces

Abstract

The effectiveness of hemodialysis in removing mercury was examined in a 14-year-old boy with acute renal failure due to intoxication by 1.5 gm of mercuric cyanide. Mercury concentrations in blood, dialysate, urine, vomitus, and feces were measured. In some materials, the total mercury and the "free" mercury (inorganic and weakly bound) were determined separately. With the first hemodialysis, 1.4 mg of mercury was removed, but this amount decreased rapidly with subsequent dialyses. Fecal mercury excretion, on the other hand, was approximately 1 mg daily during the first two weeks. Excretion of mercury in urine did not exceed 126 microgram/day even during the polyuric phase. Losses in vomitus were insignificant. It is concluded that hemodialysis is of little use in elimination of mercury, even if performed after administration of dimercaprol.