OBJECTIVE To assess whether measuring plasma paracetamol concentrations in all patients with drug overdose or collapse (altered consciousness) changes outcome. METHOD A retrospective survey was performed of all patients attending the Accident and Emergency Department at Guy's Hospital, London over a 12 month period who had plasma paracetamol concentrations measured (it is hospital policy that...

INTRODUCTION Paracetamol is the most common pharmaceutical agent implicated in toxic exposure in Singapore. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of paracetamol overdose in the adult population managed at a tertiary healthcare facility in Singapore. METHODS Medical records of adult patients hospitalised with a diagnosis of paracetamol overdose at National University Hospital, Singa...

Paracetamol (acetaminophen, N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, 4-hydroxyacetanilide) is the most common cause of acute liver failure in developed countries. There are a number of factors which potentially impact on the risk of an individual developing hepatotoxicity following an acute paracetamol overdose. These include the dose of paracetamol ingested, time to presentation, decreased liver glutathione, a...

Paracetamol poisoning is the commonest overdose recorded in high income countries [1-4]. In Sri Lanka paracetamol overdose has exponentially increased in urban and rural areas [5, 6]. It is responsible for 50% of admissions due to overdose in the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (National Poisons Information Center data), and on average two patients are admitted every day with paracetamol overdos...

Paracetamol is the commonest drug taken in overdose in the United Kingdom. While the management of early paracetamol poisoning is straightforward, the management of late presenting cases, cases presenting after a staggered overdose, and patients with risk factors for paracetamol poisoning can be much more complex. The authors have developed and present here an evidence based flowchart that will...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between the availability of paracetamol and its use for overdose and suicide. DESIGN Analysis of routinely collected information on time trends for paracetamol suicides, non-fatal overdoses, and sales. SETTING England and Wales and France. RESULTS There were strong correlations between trends in paracetamol sales in the UK and trends in non-fatal ...

The aim of this study was to design an information leaflet for patients with paracetamol overdose based on Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency guidance and to assess its readability. A two-sided one page information leaflet was designed for patients being discharged from hospital after a paracetamol overdose. Patients presenting with an acute paracetamol overdose, irrespective o...

Sir, Hypoglycaemia is a well-recognised feature of paracetamol overdose, after the development of fulminant hepatic failure, but we are aware of only one previous description of hyperglycaemia and that was in a patient with a family history of diabetes mellitus.' Over recent months we have seen five patients, all male, aged 17 to 40, who have had random blood sugars of 7.2-12.8 mmol/l (mean 9.1...

LINKED ARTICLE This article is commented on by Bateman DN and Dear JW. Should we treat very large paracetamol overdose differently? Br J Clin Pharmacol 2017; 83: 1163-5. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.13279 AIMS: Treatment of paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose with acetylcysteine is standardized, with dose determined only by patient weight. The validity of this approach for massive overdoses has...