Possible hepatotoxicity associated with intravenous acetaminophen in a 36-year-old female patient

We present a case of a 36-year-old female who came into the emergency department with right-side abdominal pain. She went to the operating room for a diagnostic laparoscopy and appendectomy. She received intravenous (IV) acetaminophen every six hours both preoperatively and postoperatively for pain...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:P&T (Lawrenceville, N.J.) N.J.), 2015-02, Vol.40 (2), p.123-132
Main Authors: Lee, Philip J, Shen, Mark, Wang, Shan, Spiegler, Peter, Caraccio, Thomas, DeMuro, Jonas P, Malone, Brian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case Report
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Summary:We present a case of a 36-year-old female who came into the emergency department with right-side abdominal pain. She went to the operating room for a diagnostic laparoscopy and appendectomy. She received intravenous (IV) acetaminophen every six hours both preoperatively and postoperatively for pain control. The patient's aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were elevated and peaked at 4,833 and 6,600 IU/L, respectively, from baselines of 14 and 15, respectively, while she was receiving 16 doses of IV acetaminophen. The patient was transferred to a regional liver transplant center for evaluation for a transplant. She was treated with IV N-acetylcysteine and discharged with a normal liver-function test without a transplant. This case report supports the possibility of hepatotoxicity associated with IV acetaminophen.
ISSN:1052-1372