Salicylate Intoxication

Abstract

Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is one of the most widely used over‐the‐counter medications. Because of its availability and widespread use, aspirin has a long history of human toxicity from accidental or intentional overdosing. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers aspirin was implicated in 19083 exposures in 1995, with 11800 cases treated in a health care facility, and 52 associated deaths. Aspirin toxicity may be a life‐threatening condition that produces multiple system organ failure requiring treatment in an intensive care unit. Managing a patient with salicylism will challenge the skills of the critical care team, especially in the areas of life support, fluid and electrolyte balance, and acid‐base management. This article reviews the physiology, pathophysiology, acute and chronic salicylism in children and adults, and management of salicylate intoxication.

Quantitative reflectance spot test for the determination of acetylsalicylic acid in pharmaceutical preparations

“…Intoxication accidents with children, for instance, are not rare due to the accessibility of this drug. 5 The acid-base titration, 6 as well as the spectrophotometric methods exploiting Trinder's reaction 7 , are based on the hydrolysis of the acetylsalicylic acid. Trinder's procedure involves the formation of a deep blue-violet complex formed between salicylic acid and Fe(III).…”

Electrochemical Biosensors for Salicylate and Its Derivatives

“…When the salicylate concentration in the serum is higher than 2.2 mol L À1 , it becomes toxic, requiring control and monitoring of the salicylate level because the therapeutic range for antiin¯ammatory actions (1.1 to 2.2 mol L À1 ) is very close to the toxic stage and higher con-centrations can be lethal. Therapeutic serum salicylate concentrations are generally lower than 0.4 mol L À1 for analgesicantipyretic effects [1,3]. Aspirin acts on the formation of the prostaglandins, inhibiting the cyclooxygenase enzyme [4,5].…”