Abstract
Glutaraldehyde is a five-carbon dialdehyde with highly reactive chemical properties. It has bactericidal, sporicidal, and fungicidal activities and is used as a disinfectant to combat foot-and-mouth disease in Korea. To our knowledge, there are no reports of chemical pneumonitis caused by glutaraldehyde aspiration. Chemical pneumonitis is defined as lung irritation caused by substances toxic to the lungs. We treated a 71-year-old patient who had a dyspnea and hoarseness that worsened 7 h after ingesting three mouthfuls of 10% glutaraldehyde. Upon arrival at the emergency room, he had severe laryngeal swelling. A chest radiograph showed diffuse haziness of both lower-lung fields. Despite all our efforts at treatment, he died from chemical pneumonitis and its secondary complications.
글루탈알데히드는 노출된 양상과 정도에 따라 결막염, 피부염 등의 비교적 경증 질환부터 후두 부종에 의한 기도 폐쇄, 화학성 폐렴 및 폐부종, 부식성 식도염, 장 천공 등의 중증 질환까지 다양하게 일으킬 수 있다. 저자들은 71세 남성이 10% 글루탈알데히드 용액을 흡인한 후 발생한 중증 화학성 폐렴과 이차적으로 발생한 합병증으로 사망한 1예를 경험하였기에 문헌고찰과 함께 보고하는 바이다.