Paracetamol Toxicity - Detection in Body Fluids

Detection in Body Fluids

Paracetamol may be quantified in blood, plasma, or urine as a diagnostic tool in clinical poisoning situations or to aid in the medicolegal investigation of suspicious deaths. Plasma concentrations during therapy usually range from 2-20 mg/L, whereas levels of 30-300 mg/L are often observed in overdose patients. Postmortem blood levels have ranged from 50-400 mg/L in persons dying due to acute overdosage. Automated colorimetric techniques, gas chromatography and liquid chromatography are currently in use for the laboratory analysis of the drug in physiological specimens.