Cyanide Poisoning

This flashcard is a true amalgam. I started with common sources of cyanide (CN) when items are burned. This included wool, silk, polyurethane, and rubber. This naturally prompted me to draw a lamb wearing silk stockings sitting in a cheap polyurethane chair atop a pile of burning tires…

The idea for a lamb wearing thigh high stockings was from a scene with Gene Wilder in Woody Allen’s 1977 film Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Sex but Were Afraid to Ask….and after that, it was all downhill from there.

I did think it was important to try and convey the classic scenario of a firefighter passed out from inhalation of cyanide containing fumes and that iatrogenic cyanide poisoning can occur with continued use of IV nitroprusside.

Other Resources

• LITFL Flashcard Collection
• Tox Library – Cyanide
• Pocket Toxicology Flashcards and kindle edition
• Kloss and Bruce Website