Dosage of Acetylcysteine in Acetaminophen Poisoning

In Reply.— I appreciate the scrutiny brought to the Harriet Lane Handbook section on acetaminophen poisoning. Four of the issues raised by these correspondents deserve comment. 1. Although the text gives explicit instructions for obtaining a plasma acetaminophen level four hours after the ingestion, I agree that the nomogram in the handbook is a potential source of confusion. Fortunately, we are aware of no patient who has received inadequate therapy as a result of this nomogram (which was printed in the eighth, ninth, tenth, and 11th editions of the handbook).