[Acute paracetamol and aspirin poisoning]

Liver injury is the main feature of paracetamol poisoning. Early administration of N-acetylcysteine is an effective antidotal treatment. There are also effective treatments for salicylate poisoning and severe cases are always due to delayed diagnosis. Salicylate poisoning should be systematically suspected when several of the following features are observed in a poisoned patient: tinnitus, deafness, hyperventilation, respiratory alkalosis, metabolic acidosis. Diagnosis is readily confirmed by measuring plasma salicylate concentration.