1 A 61-year-old man ingested a large amount of carbon tetrachloride, well in excess of the adult lethal dose.
2 The level of the compound was assayed in his blood and the levels were the highest ever recorded by the Guy's Hospital Poisons Unit.
3 He was treated by intravenous infusion of acetylcysteine and survived with relatively mild clinical and biochemical evidence of toxicity.
4 Possible reasons for his survival are discussed, as are the implications for the management of future cases.
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