Abstract
Purpose To evaluate reported ingested dose of paracetamol as
a risk assessment tool in acute paracetamol overdose.
Methods Data was retrospectively obtained from a clinical
toxicology database linked to one Australian and two United
Kingdom hospitals. Plasma paracetamol concentrations
(PPCs) of adult patients presenting with acute single ingestion,
non-staggered paracetamol deliberate self-poisoning between
2006 and 2012 were recorded and plotted on a treatment
nomogram to determine accuracy of reported dose
ingested as an indicator for antidotal treatment. PPC plotted
on a treatment nomogram with a line intersecting a 4-h concentration
of 100 mg/L [667 μmol/L] was considered an
indication for antidotal treatment in the UK; the corresponding
Australasian population utilised a line intersecting 150 mg/L
[1000 μmol/L].