Acetaminophen Serum Levels in Patients with unknown Poisoning and Loss of Consciousness

摘要

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of acetaminophen in patients with unknown poisoning and loss of consciousness, and to assess whether measuring serum acetaminophen level in all patients with drug overdose or decreased level of consciousness changes outcome. Methods & Materials: In a descriptive-analytical study, 300 patients with loss of consciousness and a history of drug toxicity with an unknown drug that referred to the emergency unit constituted the study sample. Serum acetaminophen levels of patients, the outcome, mortality, and morbidity of patients were evaluated. Results: The mean age of patients was 28.88±8.67 years. The minimum age of patients was 15 years and the maximum age of patients was 58 years. The mean serum level of acetaminophen in patients was 0.62±0.55 μg/ml. The highest level and the lowest level of acetaminophen in patients were 2.8 μg/ml and 0.2 μg/ml respectively. Serum acetaminophen level in patients was less than the toxic level (less than 30 μg/ml). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, acetaminophen as a widely used and available drug is not a common cause of poisoning in patients with loss of consciousness in our region.