Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine

Introduction: Ethylene glycol intoxication can be lethal if diagnosis is delayed. Often, prompt diagnosis may need to be based on indirect laboratory findings.

Case report: We present a case of severe ethylene glycol intoxication whose diagnosis was based on an unusual “lactate gap.” The patient responded well to the treatment and had a full recovery.

Conclusion: A “lactate gap” can be helpful in establishing a diagnosis of ethylene glycol intoxication.