Toxic keratopathy due to the accidental use of chlorhexidine, cetrimide and cialit.

Due to economical reasons some ophthalmologists are using an irrigating solution made by the hospital pharmacy instead of the commercially available solutions. These irrigating solutions come in bottles which are identical to the ones used for other solutions. During the last three years bottles were accidentally mixed up five times. Consequently, bottles containing solutions such as chlorhexidine, cetrimide, chlorhexidine/centrimide and cialit solutions were used during cataract surgery. This resulted in immediate corneal edema which, in its turn resulted in a bullous keratopathy. Four patients underwent a penetrating keratoplasty. In one patient the cornea was covered with a conjunctival flap. Light microscopy of the corneas included epithelial edema, loss of keratocytes, and a disrupted and sometimes absent endothelial cell layer.

[The surgical treatment of large eventrations using skin homografts preserved in cialit]. / Le traitement chirurgical des grandes éventrations par l'homogreffe de peau conservée au cialit.

52 persons who had been operated upon for large eventration by means of Cialit dermatoplasty were re-examined after an interval of 2 to 12 years. After a description of the operating technique, the immediate and then the long-term results are analysed. The quantity of mercury in the blood and the urine of 7 patients never shows an increase that reaches the critical threshold. The figures obtained go down to reference values found in the case of non-exposed persons after 9 months in the blood and 4 months in the urine. A fresh intervention in the case of 3 patients has permitted a histological examination of the cicatrix after Cialit skin transplantation. Analysis confirms the excellent tolerance of the material and its integration with the tissues of the recipient. The interest of this technique in an infected environment is to be emphasized.