title: [Pulse oximetry and methemoglobinemia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cyanosis associated to low oxygen saturation may reveal hemoglobin pathology.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 3 year-old child had a nephroblastoma with pleural effusion. He suddenly developed persistent cyanosis despite pleural effusion drainage; transcutaneous and measured oxygen saturations were low and PaO2 on arterial blood gases was high. Methemoglobinemia was diagnosed, due to prilocaine-lignocaine cream used for local anesthesia, associated to partial G6PD deficiency. The methemoglobinemia disappeared after methylene blue treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cyanosis with low oxygen saturation and high or normal PaO2 should lead to the search of a hemoglobin pathology, especially methemoglobinemia, by appropriate methods.
authors.affiliation: Service de réanimation pédiatrique, hôpital Necker-Enfants-Malades, Paris, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jouvet
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schleiermacher
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hubert
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Doz
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zucker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cloup
mesh_terms: D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000009:adverse effects; D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000009:adverse effects; D000077442:Lidocaine, Prilocaine Drug Combination; D008297:Male; D008708:Methemoglobinemia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010092:Oximetry; D011318:Prilocaine / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D004338:Drug Combinations; D000077442:Lidocaine, Prilocaine Drug Combination; D011318:Prilocaine; D008012:Lidocaine
vernacular_title: Oxymétrie de pouls et méthémoglobinémie.