Chloral hydrate intoxication in a 3-month-old child: avoidance of hemodialysis by an immediate determination of trichloroethanol.

Background: Chloral hydrate is used worldwide as a first-line agent for procedural sedation in paediatric patients undergoing painless diagnostic investigations. Chloral hydrate overdoses in children and adults have been reported to cause various toxicities, including central nervous system, respiratory and cardiac depression with sometimes fatal outcome.

Patient And Methods: A 3-month-old girl was admitted after an unintentional administration of a 10-fold dose of chloral hydrate (667 mg/kg).