title: Therapeutic drug monitoring in drug overdose.
abstract: The treatment of poisoned patients is still largely defined by history, clinical assessment and interpretation of ancillary investigations. Measurement of drug concentrations is clinically important for relatively few compounds. Most measurements form an adjunct to and should not be considered a substitute for clinical assessment. Drug concentrations are particularly important for those compounds where the concentration is predictive of serious toxicity in an otherwise asymptomatic patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Toxicology and Pharmacology, Newcastle Mater Hospital, Hunter Regional Mail Centre, NSW 2310, Australia. mdahd@cc.newcastle.edu.au
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Whyte
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning; D004077:Digoxin / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D011379:Prognosis; D013806:Theophylline / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning
chemical_list: D000082:Acetaminophen; D004077:Digoxin; D013806:Theophylline