Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    A quick inexpensive laboratory method in acute paracetamol poisoning could improve risk assessment, management and resource utilization

    Access Status
    Open access via publisher
    Authors
    Senarathna, Ganga
    Ranganathan, S.
    Buckley, N.
    Soysa, S.
    Fernandopulle, B.
    Date
    2012
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Senarathna, S.M.D.K. Ganga and Ranganathan, Shalini S. and Buckley, Nick and Soysa, S.S.S.B.D. Preethi and Fernandopulle, B.M. Rohini. 2012. A quick inexpensive laboratory method in acute paracetamol poisoning could improve risk assessment, management and resource utilization. Indian Journal of Pharmacology. 44 (4): pp. 463-468.
    Source Title
    Indian Journal of Pharmacology
    DOI
    10.4103/0253-7613.99305
    ISSN
    0253-7613
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/23680
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Objectives: Acute paracetamol poisoning is an emerging problem in Sri Lanka. Management guidelines recommend ingested dose and serum paracetamol concentrations to assess the risk. Our aim was to determine the usefulness of the patient's history of an ingested dose of >150 mg/kg and paracetamol concentration obtained by a simple colorimetric method to assess risk in patients with acute paracetamol poisoning. Materials and Methods: Serum paracetamol concentrations were determined in 100 patients with a history of paracetamol overdose using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC); (reference method). The results were compared to those obtained with a colorimetric method. The utility of risk assessment by reported dose ingested and colorimetric analysis were compared. Results: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the history of ingested dose was 0.578 and there was no dose cut-off providing useful risk categorization. Both analytical methods had less than 5% intra- and inter-batch variation and were accurate on spiked samples. The time from blood collection to result was six times faster and ten times cheaper for colorimetry (30 minutes, US$2) than for HPLC (180 minutes, US$20). The correlation coefficient between the paracetamol levels by the two methods was 0.85. The agreement on clinical risk categorization on the standard nomogram was also good (Kappa = 0.62, sensitivity 81%, specificity 89%). Conclusions: History of dose ingested alone greatly over-estimated the number of patients who need antidotes and it was a poor predictor of risk. Paracetamol concentrations by colorimetry are rapid and inexpensive. The use of these would greatly improve the assessment of risk and greatly reduce unnecessary expenditure on antidotes.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • A cost effectiveness analysis of the preferred antidotes for acute paracetamol poisoning patients in Sri Lanka
      Senarathna, Ganga; Ranganathan, Shalini; Buckley, Nick; Fernandopulle, Rohini (2012)
      Background: Acute paracetamol poisoning is a rapidly increasing problem in Sri Lanka. The antidotes are expensive and yet no health economic evaluation has been done on the therapy for acute paracetamol poisoning in the ...
    • A retrospective descriptive study of the characteristics of deliberate self-poisoning patients with single or repeat presentations to an Australian emergency medicine network in a one year period
      Martin, C.; Chapman, Rose; Rahman, A.; Graudins, A. (2014)
      Background - A proportion of deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) patients present repeatedly to the emergency department (ED). Understanding the characteristics of frequent DSP patients and their presentation is a first step ...
    • The potential association between thiamin, hyperglycemia and chronic diseases
      Alaei Shahmiri, Fariba (2012)
      Chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recent studies have shown that in addition to diabetes mellitus, non-diabetic degrees of fasting ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.