Although the cyanide pills were deemed a 'quick and painless' death at the time, modern science now shows us that this wasn't the case; instead, those who took them probably experienced a long and agonizing death. Cyanide works by blocking a cell's ability to produce ATP, a source of energy used by your body to perform natural functions.
When a person ingests a lethal dose of cyanide, the body's cells suddenly stop producing ATP. After this occurs, muscle cells don't get the energy they need, and the person experiences inconsistencies with muscle contraction and relaxation. Your lungs' diaphragm and your heart are pure muscle; when they can no longer function, you won't be able to breathe, and cardiac arrest will ensue. The length of time it takes for cyanide to kill a person ranges from around minutes, and during this timeframe, they're fully conscious and experience every bit of the chemical's effects.
Cyanide acts fast because its molecules are tiny, allowing it to spread through the body rapidly and efficiently. On the other hand, a conscious death lasting minutes will feel like an eternity for the affected person, so cyanide poisoning should probably be one of the last things on the world's list of "preferred ways of dying.
Login here. Register Free. Cyanide prevents the cells of the body from using oxygen. When this happens, the cells die. Cyanide is more harmful to the heart and brain than to other organs because the heart and brain use a lot of oxygen.
Immediate signs and symptoms of exposure to cyanide People exposed to a small amount of cyanide by breathing it, absorbing it through their skin, or eating foods that contain it may have some or all of the following signs and symptoms within minutes: Dizziness Headache Nausea and vomiting Rapid breathing Rapid heart rate Restlessness Weakness Exposure to a large amount of cyanide by any route may cause these other health effects as well: Convulsions Loss of consciousness Low blood pressure Lung injury Respiratory failure leading to death Slow heart rate Showing these signs and symptoms does not necessarily mean that a person has been exposed to cyanide.
Long-term health effects of exposure to cyanide Survivors of serious cyanide poisoning may develop heart, brain and nerve damage. How you can protect yourself, and what to do if you are exposed to cyanide Since breathing it is likely to be the primary route of exposure to cyanide, leave the area where the cyanide gas was released and get to fresh air. Quickly moving to an area where fresh air is available is highly effective in reducing exposure to cyanide gas.
If the cyanide gas was released outdoors, move away from the area where it was released. If you cannot get out of the area where the cyanide gas was released, stay as low to the ground as possible. If the release of cyanide gas was indoors, get out of the building. For more information on evacuation during a chemical emergency, see Facts About Evacuation.
For more information on sheltering in place during a chemical emergency, see Facts About Sheltering in Place. If you think you may have been exposed to cyanide, you should remove your clothing, rapidly wash your entire body with soap and water, and get medical care as quickly as possible. Removing your clothing: Quickly take off clothing that may have cyanide on it.
Any clothing that has to be pulled over the head should be cut off the body instead of pulled over the head. If you are helping other people remove their clothing, try to avoid touching any contaminated areas, and remove the clothing as quickly as possible. Washing yourself: As quickly as possible, wash any cyanide from your skin with large amounts of soap and water.
Washing with soap and water will help protect people from any chemicals on their bodies. If your eyes are burning or your vision is blurred, rinse your eyes with plain water for 10 to 15 minutes. The most widely used are nitrites with thiosulphate. The recent studies have shown that combination of hydroxocobalamine with thiosulphate is considered a better choice. Although no literature is available regarding use of thiopentone in treatment of cyanide intoxication, we hypothetically used it and could sustain the patient until antidote kit was available.
We chose thiopentone [ Figure 1 ] because of its anticonvulsant effects, reduced cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption. Although it contains thio group, it is not similar to the cyanide antidote thiosulphate as is evident in their chemical structure. Sodium thiosulfate contains a sulphane sulphur moiety [ Figure 2 ] a divalent sulphur bound only to another sulphur moiety and the availability of such is the rate-limiting step in the enzymatic conversion of cyanide to much less toxic and renally-excreted thiocyanate by endogenous rhodanase.
No such moiety is found in thiopentone sodium. Thus the mechanism may not be related to the sulphur moiety of thiopentone. It is important to note that cyanide is rapidly acting poison and once signs and symptoms appear, death ensues within 30 min. However, we received the antidote kit after around 60 min. Patient fully recovered and was sent home hale and hearty. Control of convulsions with thiopentone can have a role in sustaining victims of acute cyanide intoxication until the definitive antidotes arrive.
Employees routinely working in at-risk industries using cyanide must be informed of the hazards from exposure to the contaminants and should be trained in appropriate procedure in handling the cyanide. Antidote kit should always be available at the place of cyanide exposure and should be sent to the emergency department along with the patient. Source of Support: Nil. Conflict of Interest: None declared.
National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Indian J Anaesth v. Indian J Anaesth. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Address for correspondence: Dr. E-mail: moc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Before cyanide antidote can be administered, the patient must be removed from the cyanide-laden area, clothing removed, and skin washed with soap and water.
If cyanide salts have been ingested, activated charcoal may prevent absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. There are 2 major modalities of treatment: the cyanide antidote kit and hydroxocobalamin. Although recovery from a chemical attack is rare, victims may survive sub-lethal exposures, whether from ingestion, smoke inhalation, or exposure to cyanide-containing industrial products, such as carpet.
Patients who are treated successfully for cyanide poisoning should be observed for development of long-term neuropsychiatric symptoms that are similar to symptoms experienced by survivors of cardiac arrest or carbon monoxide poisoning.
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