Toxicology

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Toxicology


Clinical toxicology is the investigation of the poisoned patient. Poisoning may be due to many substances, not all of which are drugs. A diagnosis of poisoning is made more often on the basis of clinical than laboratory findings. In most cases of suspected poisoning the following biochemical tests may be requested:



In a few specific poisonings additional biochemical tests may be of value (Table 60.1).





Measurement of drug levels


Usually knowledge of the plasma concentration of a toxin will not alter the treatment of the patient. Toxins for which measurement is useful include carbon monoxide, iron, lithium, paracetamol, paraquat, phenobarbital, phenytoin, quinine, salicylate and theophylline. Quantitative analysis will give an indication of the severity of the poisoning and serial analyses provide a guide to the length of time that will elapse before the effects begin to resolve (Fig 60.1).



Qualitative drug analysis simply indicates if a drug is present or not. Reasons for qualitative drug analysis include:



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Jun 18, 2016 | Posted by in BIOCHEMISTRY | Comments Off on Toxicology

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