Treating acute acetaminophen poisoning with acetylcysteine
R. G. Peterson and B. H. Rumack
A patient ingested 15.6 gm acetaminophen and sought medical attention after
seven hours. At that time, her plasma acetaminophen level was 217
microng/ml. Treatment with acetylcysteine was begun eight hours after the
ingestion. The clinical course of this patient was characterized by a mild
illness with a minor elevation of liver enzyme values. A number of factors
predicted severe hepatotoxicity for this patient had she not received
treatment.
