Articles: acetaminophen.
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Irish medical journal · Feb 2014
Comparative StudyImpact of new UK paracetamol overdose guidelines on patients presenting to the emergency department.
Paracetamol is involved in a large proportion of overdoses that present to the Emergency Department (ED), either as lone or mixed overdoses. Non-treatment of toxic levels can lead to fulminant liver failure. This study is to determine the impact the new UK treatment guidelines will have on patients presenting with paracetamol overdose. ⋯ A total of 523 patients were identified, 95 (18%) of whom had detectable paracetamol levels. 74 patients from the 95 were evaluated. 18 (24%) patients were treated with N-acetylcysteine as per the then paracetamol overdose guidelines. Using the new guidelines would have resulted in 3 more patients being admitted. Our study shows that most patients who present following paracetamol overdose do not require treatment with N-acetylcysteine and suggests that the introduction of the new UK treatment guidelines is likely to result in only a small increase in the number of patients requiring treatment.
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Toxins such as pharmaceuticals, herbals, foods, and supplements may lead to hepatic damage. This damage may range from nonspecific symptoms in the setting of liver test abnormalities to acute hepatic failure. The majority of severe cases of toxin-induced hepatic injury are caused by acetaminophen and ethanol. ⋯ Patients whose hepatic dysfunction progresses to acute liver failure may benefit from transfer to a transplant service for further management. Currently, the mainstay in management for most exposures is discontinuing the offending agent. This manuscript will review the incidence, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of the different forms of toxin-induced hepatic injury and exam in-depth the most common hepatic toxins.
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Self-medication with over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics, such as paracetamol (PCM), among children and adolescents is increasing and constitutes an important public health issue internationally. Reasons for this development are unclear; parental influence is suggested. Our objective was to examine whether self-medication with OTC analgesics among school-aged children is influenced by maternal self-reported health and medicine use, taking the child's frequency of pain into account. ⋯ Maternal self-medication with OTC analgesics is associated with self-medication of OTC analgesics, predominantly PCM, among school-aged children, perhaps more than the child's pain. Maternal health seems of less importance. Information to parents about pain self-management is important to promote appropriate PCM use among schoolchildren.
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Acetaminophen Psi Parameter (APP) is a composite of acetaminophen (paracetamol) level and lag time before N-acetylcysteine (NAC) therapy. The APP is a significant predictor of hepatotoxicity secondary to acute acetaminophen overdose. Acetaminophen Psi Nomogram (APN) was invented as a graphic analog of the APP for use in predicting individual patient's risk of hepatotoxicity. Clinical accuracy of the APN has never been validated ⋯ Acetaminophen Psi Nomogram is a sensitive and specific tool for prediction of hepatotoxicity secondary to acute acetaminophen overdose. By application of the APN, a significant proportion of patients may not require either further follow-up after the completion of NAC therapy or prolongation of NAC therapy. Patients in high APN's risk ranges may be treated and monitored more intensively with confidence.
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Int. J. Pediatr. Otorhinolaryngol. · Feb 2014
Clinical utility of PPPM and FPS-R to quantify post-tonsillectomy pain in children.
As pain is a subjective and difficult parameter to assess in children, we aimed to evaluate the correspondence of two pain scales - parents' post-operative pain measure (PPPM) and faces pain scale-revised (FPS-R) with analgesic intake in the assessment of post-tonsillectomy pain in a pediatric population. ⋯ Our data demonstrate that PPPM and FPS-R are equivalent pain scales to quantify post-tonsillectomy pain in children and are useful tools in post-tonsillectomy clinical research.