Original Article

Evaluation of Patients with Paracetamol Intoxication Who Admitted to Emergency Service

10.4274/meandros.2533

  • Kıvanç Karaman
  • Mücahit Avcil
  • Burçak Kantekin
  • Yunus Emre Özlüer
  • Hüseyin Emre Yaşar
  • Sibelnur Avcil
  • Mücahit Kapçı

Received Date: 25.12.2015 Accepted Date: 05.01.2016 Meandros Med Dent J 2016;17(1):11-16

Objective:

To evaluate the effects of demographic and clinical features on follow-up period and laboratory parameters in patients with paracetamol intoxication who were admitted to our emergency department.

Materials and Methods:

One hundred sixty-four patients, who were admitted to the emergency department at Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine between April 2013 and April 2015, were retrospectively evaluated and a total of 44 patients who have ingested paracetamol were enrolled in the study. The demographic and laboratory data of the patients were recorded. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee and Institutional Review Board of Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine.

Results:

Of the 44 patients, 29 were followed up in the observation unit at the emergency department (OUED), while 15 were followed up in the critical care unit at the emergency department (CCUED). There was no difference in age, sex and additional drug usage between the groups. Paracetamol dose was significantly higher in CCUED group than in OUED group (15013±6942 vs. 5351±3382 mg, p<0.001). Antidote administration was performed in 14 patients in CCUED (93.3%) and 12 patients in OUED groups (41.1%) (p=0.003). When we compared the patients who received antidote treatment with those who did not, it was observed that the dose of paracetamol (12344±6388 vs. 3302±1291 mg, p<0.001) and the length of hospitalization (2.46±0.7 vs. 1.39±0.6 day, p<0.001) were significantly higher in antidote-administered patients. The international normalized ratio (INR) was also significantly higher in patients who received antidote treatment than in those who did not receive (1.14±0.14 vs. 1.05±0.13, p=0.042).

Conclusion:

The role of emergency physicians in triage is very important. Laboratory findings are not important in the management of paracetamol intoxication in patients admitted to the emergency department. Intravenous administration of N-acetylcysteine as antidote has a lowering effect on INR in patients with paracetamol poisoning.

Keywords: Paracetamol intoxication, N-acetylcysteine, International normalized ratio

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