Evaluation of effective variables of medical history for N-Acetyl cysteine prescription in acetaminophen poisoned patients

N-Acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an effective antidote for acetaminophen poisoning. Now, in some poisoning centers the prescription of NAC is related to the dose of drug through medical history of patients, because of mines equipments and high load of patients. We evaluate the patient’s history more closely and compare it with the plasma acetaminophen to find the effective factors of history on severity of poisoning. This prospective cross sectional study was carried out over 170 patients who were consumed more than 7.5 grams of acetaminophen. Some variables like age, sex, number of suicides, the amount of drug, and the duration between drug consumption and hospital admission were evaluated and the data were analyzed using SPSS software. In total 170 patients, the mean age was 21.81 ± 6.05 years. Out of the total number of samples, 44.7% were men and 55.3% were women. The mean plasma level of acetaminophen was 18.7 µg/ml. The prevalence of poisoning was more in third decade of life. Number of suicides, amount of drug, and duration of consumption and emergency admissions were three variables which positively affect severity of poisoning. In conditions which quick plasma tittering of acetaminophen is impossible for determining the indication of NAC prescription, some factors through patients’ history help the physician for better decision. Positive history of suicide, high dose drug consumption, and long duration between drug poisoning and hospital admission are some risk factors for poisoned patients.