ABSTRACT
Three gases, perfluoromethane, perfluoroethane, and perfluoropropane (CF4, C2F6, and C3 F8, respectively) were studied for their possible value as intravitreal tamponades in retinal surgery. The gases expand and have intraocular longevities that increase with the length of the carbon chain. A 0.4-cc injection of CF4, remained in the eye six days, twice as long as an equivalent amount of air; C2F6 remained 16 days, more than four times as long as air; and C3F8 remained 28 days, nine times as long as air and four times as long as sulfur hexafluoride.
Subject(s)
Fluorocarbons/therapeutic use , Retinal Detachment/surgery , Vitreous Body , Air , Animals , Cataract/etiology , Eye/drug effects , Fluorocarbons/pharmacology , Gases/adverse effects , Rabbits , Sulfur Hexafluoride/therapeutic use , Time FactorsABSTRACT
In three cases acetohexamide (Dymelor), an oral hypoglycemic agent, was mistakenly given to patients instead of acetazolamide (Diamox), which had been prescribed for their glaucoma. A number of similarities, including the fact that both medications are 250-mg white tablets, with similar generic and brand names which are generically repackaged medications juxtaposed on the pharmacist's shelf, predispose to the inadvertent substitution of one medication for the other. In one instance a systemic hypoglycemic reaction resulting in head trauma and confusion ended in an emegency hospital admission following the substitution of acetohexamide for acetazolamide.
