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A safer presentation of intravenous paracetamol is needed
  1. Gillian F Cavell
  1. Correspondence to Gillian Cavell, Pharmacy Department, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK; gillian.cavell{at}nhs.net

https://doi.org/10.1136/ejhpharm-2012-000135

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    In May 2010 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued information to healthcare professionals in the UK highlighting the risk of accidental overdose of intravenous paracetamol (Perfalgan) in infants and children.1 This concern has also been raised recently in the USA2 where the Food and Drug Administration has approved intravenous paracetamol for use in children over 2 years of age and in 2010 by the National Patient Safety Agency.3

    The information published by the MHRA suggests that confusion between dose in mg and volume in ml and use of the 1 g/100 ml vial rather than …

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    Footnotes

    • Intravenous paracetamol is available in the UK as a 10 mg/ml solution in vials of 1 g/100 ml and 500 mg/50 ml.

    • Competing interests None.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.