An advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration will consider whether IV phenytoin, marketed as Dilantin, should be relabled or even suspended because of the threat of Purple Glove Syndrome.
PGS is a rare condition first noted in the 1980s, when patients who received IV Dilantin were developing painful, swollen hands that turned a deep shade of violet. Some 43 cases of PGS have been documented, according to the FDA. However, it's very likely the disorder is under reported.
The condition is often caused when the toxic drug doesn’t go directly into a vein, but instead seeps into the underlying tissue of the hand. Often, the damage is permanent.
Another drug, fosphenytoin, marketed under the brand name Cerebyx, appears to control seizures as well as phenytoin, but without the same risk of PGS. Both drugs have similar risks of other side effects.
Source: http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/11/03/5398283-purple-glove-syndrome-leads-fda-panel-to-review-drug
