Influence of time until emesis on the efficacy of decontamination using acetaminophen as a marker in a pediatric population
✍ Scribed by GR Bond; RK Requa; SA Normann; JD Tendler; CL Morris; DJ McCoy; MW Thompson; EP Krenslok; T McCarthy; J Roblez; C Taylor; MA Dolan; SC Curry
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1990
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 135 KB
- Volume
- 19
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1097-6760
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Acetaminophen plus its conjugated metabolites were measured in urine by high-pressure liquid chromatography. control 15 min 30 rain 120 rain Mean amount (mg) 4,041 2,087 2,259 2,695 % of control recovered 100 52 56 67
The amount recovered in each trial was statistically different from control (P < .05), but not for differences between charcoal trials. No differences were found in relative amounts of free acetaminophen or metabolites in any of the four trials. Mild, selflimiting nausea and flushing were the most common adverse effects. The timing of charcoal administration following 5 g acetaminophen elixir did not influence the urinary recovery of acetaminophen or its metabolites. However, absorption of the acetaminophen elixir was essentially complete by two hours (serum data collected during control trial and previously reported).
Possible explanations for the efficacy of the 120-minute charcoal dose may include the binding of acetaminophen and its conjugates re-exposed to the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract following systemic absorption, thus reducing the amount available for urinary excretion. Activated charcoal should be administered for at least two hours following an ingestion of liquid acetaminophen.