Articles: acetaminophen.
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Clinical therapeutics · Oct 2018
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyAnalgesic Efficacy of an Acetaminophen/Ibuprofen Fixed-dose Combination in Moderate to Severe Postoperative Dental Pain: A Randomized, Double-blind, Parallel-group, Placebo-controlled Trial.
Acute pain is a significant burden to the individual and to society. There is a clear need for a pain medication that provides improved analgesia over common analgesics, without compromising tolerability. The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy of a new fixed-dose combination of acetaminophen 975 mg and ibuprofen 292.5 mg (FDC 975/292.5) relative to acetaminophen or ibuprofen monotherapy, or placebo. ⋯ Overall, the fixed-dose combination of acetaminophen and ibuprofen provided greater and more rapid analgesia than comparable doses of either agent alone or placebo in adults after removal of impacted third molars. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01420653.
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Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is the most commonly used drug in the world, with a long record of use in acute and chronic pain. In recent years, the benefits of paracetamol use in chronic conditions has been questioned, notably in the areas of osteoarthritis and lower back pain. Over the same period, concerns over the long-term adverse effects of paracetamol use have increased, initially in the field of hypertension, but more recently in other areas as well. ⋯ In particular, an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and a small (~4 mmHg) increase in systolic blood pressure are adverse effects for which the evidence is particularly strong, and which show a degree of dose dependence. As our estimation of the benefits decreases, an accurate assessment of the harms is ever more important. The present review summarizes the current evidence on the harms associated with chronic paracetamol use, focusing on cardiovascular disease, asthma and renal injury, and the effects of in utero exposure.
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A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether oral N-acetylcysteine is as effective as intravenous N-acetylcysteine in the management of paracetamol overdose. Seven studies were directly relevant to the question. The author, year and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that oral N-acetylcysteine is a safe alternative in patients for whom the intravenous route is not an option.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialPopulation pharmacokinetics of intravenous paracetamol in critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury.
High-dose paracetamol (6 g/day) is a low-cost intervention that may prevent pyrexia. The purpose of this study was to describe the pharmacokinetics of high-dose intravenous paracetamol, in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ Due to altered pharmacokinetics, patients experiencing severe TBI may require a higher dose of paracetamol to achieve drug exposure that results in preventing pyrexia.
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Anasthesiol Intensivmed Notfallmed Schmerzther · Oct 2018
Case Reports[Metabolic Acidosis under Acetaminophen Intake - an Unordinary Side Effect].
Metabolic acidosis is common among hospitalized patients. However, in a few cases a long-term administration of acetaminophen can lead to transient 5-oxoproline accumulation and causes metabolic acidosis with high anion gap in adults. A 73-year-old man was hospitalized with Staph. aureus sepsis after right knee prosthesis infection and received analgesic treatment with acetaminophen 2 g/d and antibiotic therapy with flucloxacillin over several weeks. ⋯ A change in antibiotic treatment, interruption of acetaminophen and administration of acetylcysteine lead to a normalization of the acid-base balance. In a patient with metabolic acidosis under acetaminophen administration, particularly in the context of sepsis, malnutrition, liver and kidney diseases as well as antibiotic treatment with flucloxacillin an accumulation of 5-oxoproline must be considered. The treatment with acetaminophen must be interrupted and acetylcysteine should be administered.