Tell me about it. Read standard 2 of the paracetamol one carefully. Sloppy drafting like this has
impressed me not a jot. The remainder of the paracetamol ones are problematic on various grounds -
one actually disagrees with the evidence and another is just plain wrong.
> I'm a little concerned that the use of charcoal is still included in
> the =
> paracetamol protocol. I was told by Martin Shalley (BAEM) that this =
> point was to be reviewed. The clinical evidence for it's inclusion is =
> weak. A ratio of 5 or 10 to 1 has to be acheived to significantly
> reduce =
> the absorption of a drug when giving charcoal. So if a patient took 20 =
> gm of paracetamol one would have to give up to 200 gm of charcoal......
> =
> very difficult to get down the patient!
>
> Also when we recently audited this at Lancaster charcoal was more often
> =
> given inappropriately. e.g. over 1 hour since ingestion and / or less =
> than 150 mg/kg ingested.
>
> My plea is... if we are going to audit this can it be using firm =
> clinical eveidence. Even the National Poisons Protocol only says =
> "consider" the use of charcoal if less than 1 hour since ingestion and
> =
> more than 150 mg/kg ingested.
Best wishes,
Rowley Cottingham
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