Reagent Measures Concentration of Acetaminophen in Serum and Plasma

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 26 May 2010

A new reagent aids in the diagnosis and treatment of acetaminophen (paracetamol) overdose toxicity.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC), used to treat acetaminophen overdose, is known to cause interference with some assay methods causing inaccuracies in the results. Because the new reagent has no NAC interference up to 1,500 mg/L (9.2 mmol/L), it produces more reliable results, and allows physicians to adjust NAC treatment levels appropriately.

The Genzyme Diagnostics (Framingham, MA, USA) acetaminophen L3K reagent uses enzymatic methodology with a single level liquid acetaminophen calibrator. This makes it convenient and cost-effective for use on multiple chemistry platforms.

Genzyme Diagnostics' clinical chemistry product line offers an array of finished reagents to diagnostic manufacturers and clinical laboratories. The company has focused its development efforts on a line of state-of-the-art point-of-care (POC) rapid tests that combine accuracy, speed, and ease of use, allowing for improved patient management decisions and reduction in the cost of care.

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