Liquid-chromatographic determination of acetaminophen in serum

We describe a sensitive and precise "high-pressure" liquid-chromatographic method for determining acetaminophen in serum. The 2-acetaminophenol and 3-acetaminophenol structural isomers of acetaminophen are used as internal standards. The method, which involves solvent extraction and adsorption chromatography on silica, provides excellent sensitivity, accuracy, and selectivity. The standard curve is linear over the range of acetaminophen concentrations of 0.5 to 300 mg/L, which makes the method useful for both pharmacokinetic studies and overdose monitoring. Analytical recovery is 97% for acetaminophen concentrations ranging from 5 to 300 mg/L. Many commonly used drugs were tested and found not to interfere. The procedure has been successfully adapted as a microscale method requiring only 50 microL of sample. The microscale method is particularly useful for pediatric and neonatal patients for whom sample size is a major concern.