Prevention and treatment of acetaminophen poisoning in children
Written by:Acetaminophen, also known as acetaminophen, is an antipyretic and analgesic drug used to treat fever and pain in pediatric patients. It is effective administered orally or rectally, on an outpatient basis. The pediatric specialists usually prescribe this drug for relief from vaccine reactions and discomfort caused by tooth eruption. It is also useful for controlling fever in episodes of acute infectious own childhood. The dosage of the available oral solution is 10-15 mg / kg / dose every 4-6 hours and is very important to know exactly the weight and age of the child to recommend a correct dose.
According to the Spanish Society of Pediatric Emergency, acetaminophen poisoning is the leading cause of drug toxicity in our environment. The toxic dose is 150 mg / kg body weight when administered once. Poisoning may be due to an unintentional accidental ingestion, especially in children under five years of age, voluntary attempts in adolescents and young autolysis or dosing errors by parents or caregivers. The main side effect is the involvement of the liver (hepatotoxicity) and critical cases may require an urgent transplant to save the patient.
Preventing paracetamol poisoning
Prevention starts by properly inform parents about the characteristics of the drug from the two months, coinciding with the start of the implementation of the first vaccines. It is also recommended to limit the number of prescriptions prescribed by the medical staff and save paracetamol container in a safe place of domicile, to ensure it is not accessible to the child.
What to do if poisoning occurs
In case of accidental ingestion, you can contact by telephone with poison control center or consult the nearest emergency service. In cases referred to it may be necessary the use of N-acetylcysteine as specific antidote and is available in pharmacies of hospitals. The management of severe poisoning is done by specialized medical personnel and may even require admission to a pediatric intensive care.
