title: [Chloral hydrate--is it safe?].
abstract: Chloral hydrate is widely used as a sedative or hypnotic, especially in geriatric and pediatric patients. In therapeutic doses blood pressure and respiration are only minimally affected. We describe a 9-year-old boy in whom a life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia dominated the clinical presentation of chloral hydrate intoxication. In spite of its widespread use, the dangers of chloral hydrate overdosage, especially cardiac arrhythmias, are not sufficiently appreciated.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paret
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kassem
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vardi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ben Zeev
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Barzilay
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000139:chemically induced*; D002648:Child; D002697:Chloral Hydrate / Q000506:poisoning*; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000506:poisoning*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D002697:Chloral Hydrate