One-step immunoassay for acetaminophen and salicylate in serum, plasma, and whole blood.

Acetaminophen (APAP, n-acetyl-p-aminophenol) and salicylate (ASA, acetylsalicylic acid) are two of the most frequently overdosed drugs reported in the emergency room. Most APAP and ASA tests are performed with analytical instruments in laboratories, which are not always ideal for emergency situations. A rapid membrane and gold particle-based immunoassay for the simultaneous detection of APAP and ASA has been developed. Validation studies verified the cutoffs for the assay as 25 microg/mL for APAP and 100 microg/mL for ASA, respectively, and the accuracy study indicated that the agreement between the APAP and the ASA test and reference methods is 99%. One hundred thirty-three structurally unrelated chemicals and metabolites that may be present in human blood specimens were tested and found not to cross-react with the test.