MAMC Journal of Medical Sciences (Jan 2022)

Pitfalls of Sanitizer Use in the COVID-19 Era: A Case Report of Hand Sanitizer-Induced Blindness due to Contamination by Methanol

  • Sunita Aggarwal,
  • Sricharan Vijayakumar,
  • Ranvijay Singh,
  • Bidhan Chandra Koner,
  • Rajni Saijpaul,
  • Naresh Kumar,
  • Ankitesh Kumar,
  • Tushar Mittal

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/mamcjms.mamcjms_31_22
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 3
pp. 278 – 280

Abstract

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The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the availability of hand sanitizers worldwide, which have become ubiquitous. Their widespread utility has also contributed to increased accidental or intentional sanitizer ingestion. We describe the case of a young male who presented with an unintentional ingestion of hand sanitizer. On examination, he had a depressed sensorium, and further evaluation revealed severe metabolic acidosis. The patient was suspected of ethanol toxicity and underwent hemodialysis with concurrent bicarbonate replacement. However, the presence of bilateral visual loss, characteristic Computed Tomography (CT) brain finding of hemorrhagic putaminal necrosis, and normal serum ethanol levels prompted a search for methanol in the sanitizer. Specific biochemical tests confirmed this for methanol, and a diagnosis of sanitizer-induced methanol poisoning was made.

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