Trichloroethanol, Serum/Plasma

Clinical Utility

Chloral hydrate is a sedative and hypnotic drug, also known as trichloroacetaldehyde monohydrate, 2,2,2-trichloro-1,1-ethanediol. It is used for the short-term treatment of insomnia and as a sedative before minor medical or dental treatment. It has been largely displaced by the development of benzodiazepines. It was also formerly used as in veterinary medicine as a general anesthetic. Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by an inability to sleep and/or to remain asleep for a reasonable period during the night. Benzodiazepine tablets, the benzodiazepines, are a class of drugs with hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, amnestic and muscle relaxant properties. Anesthesia (AE), also anesthesia (BE), is the process of blocking the perception of pain and other sensations. In therapeutic doses for insomnia it is effective within 60 minutes; it’s rapidly metabolized into trichloroethanol and trichloroacetic acid. Higher doses can depress respiration and blood presure. An overdose is marked by confusion, convulsions, nausea, and vomiting, severe drowsiness, slow and irregular breathing, cardiac arrythmia and weakness. It may also cause liver damage. It is moderately addictive. Chronic use can cause dependency and withdrawals symptoms. A solution of chloral hydrate in alcohol is called “knockout drops” known as a Mickey Finn.

Method

Gas chromatrography-electrochemical detection (GC-ECD)

Result Included

Trichloroethanol

Aliases/Synonyms

Chloral Hydrate; Mickey Finn

Turnaround Time

2 days

Results

Referral Location

Canada

Last Updated

2019-11-19