Acetaminophen ingestion of 2 g-30 g increases morbidity, mortality in overdose study.
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
ACETAMINOPHEN INGESTION OF 2-30 GRAMS CAN INCREASE MORBIDITY, MORTALITY rates as observed over a 40-month period at Dallas' only county public hospital, with the increases among patients who accidentally overdosed on the OTC analgesic occurring "partly because no antidote is maximally effective if given more than 24 to 48 hours after the ingestion of the toxic substance," Frank Schiodt, MD, et al., Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, conclude. The study was published in the Oct. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Acetylcysteine is an antidote to acetaminophen overdose.