Abstract
Dasgupta, Boss and coworkers comment with regard to our paper ‘Rapid Visual Detection of Blood Cyanide’. In this communication we described a new two step procedure for detecting cyanide in cyanide spiked blood. In this proof-of-concept study we did, however, not discuss whether the method detects free, transition-metal ion bound or total cyanide. We appreciate the comments and agree completely with the assumptions suggesting that the method detects free cyanide, but not cyanide bound to cyanomethemoglobin (CNMetHb). This hypothesis is now supported by us experimentally. To the best of our knowledge, our method represents therefore the first strategy for the rapid detection of free cyanide in blood. In contrast to the opinion of Boss and Dasgupta, we believe that this new form of blood analysis is of much scientific interest and most probably also of medicinal impact in the future diagnosis of cyanide intoxications in emergency situations.
Aebersold, Christine