Chloral hydrate gastrointestinal

Sato et al. (1991) expanded their earlier PBPK model to account for differences in body weight, body fat content, and sex and applied it to predicting the effect of these factors on trichloroethylene metabolism and excretion. Their model consisted of seven compartments (lung, vessel rich tissue, vessel poor tissue, muscle, fat tissue, gastrointestinal system, and hepatic system) and made various assumptions about the metabolic pathways considered. First-order Michaelis-Menten kinetics were assumed for simplicity, and the first metabolic product was assumed to be chloral hydrate, which was then converted to TCA and trichloroethanol. Further assumptions were that metabolism was limited to the hepatic compartment and that tissue and organ volumes were related to body weight. The metabolic parameters, (the scaling constant for the maximum rate of metabolism) and (the Michaelis constant), were those determined for trichloroethylene in a study by Koizumi (1989) and are presented in Table 2-3. 

Chloral hydrate [KLOR al HYE drate] is a trichlorinated derivative of acetaldehyde that is converted to trichloroethanol in the body. The drug is an effective sedative and hypnotic that induces sleep in about 30 minutes and lasts about 6 hours. Chloral hydrate is irritating to the gastrointestinal tract and causes epigastric distress. It also produces an unusual, unpleasant taste sensation. 

Chloral hydrate, which was synthesized by Justus Liebig in 1832, continues to be used for sleep disorders and for sedation before surgery or radiology, especially in children (1). As an alternative to the benzodiazepines, it has essentially similar properties and problems, but is associated with perhaps rather more frequent gastrointestinal... 

Basic and advanced life-support measures should be implemented as necessary. Gastrointestinal decontamination procedures should be used as appropriate based on the patient s level of consciousness and history of ingestion. Activated charcoal can be used to adsorb chloral hydrate. The patient s level of consciousness and vital signs should be monitored closely. 

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