Metabolic Acidosis: Methanol Poisoning

Lester Grimes, aged 59, has had a rough time lately. He lost his job because of corporate reorganization. (He thinks it was because of his age.) His wife left him, and the children blame him for the break-up. Lester was starting to think that the world would be better off without him. One evening, he went into his garage and drank a bottle of paint remover. He started vomiting, and then he passed out. Fortunately, his son found him in time. In the emergency department, Lester was hyperventilating. Table 415 summarizes the blood values that were obtained.

Methanol poisoning was confirmed by blood analysis. Lesters stomach was pumped, and he was given an infusion of saline, HCO₃ , and ethanol. He recovered, and his wife drove him home from the hospital. She said, We can work it outI cant imagine life without Lester.