Skip to main content
Evidence-Based Supplement Research
Evidence-Based Supplement Research
Pillser
Search
Sign UpLog In

N-Acetyl Cysteine in Rodenticide Poisoning: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

  • 2022-11
  • Current reviews in clinical and experimental pharmacology 17(3)
    • Muhammed Rashid
    • Viji Pulikkel Chandran
    • Sreedharan Nair
    • Deepa Sudalai Muthu
    • Jemima Pappuraj
    • Krupa Ann Jacob
    • Balaji Sridhar
    • Karen Mark
    • Shabnam Hyder
    • Sohil Khan
    • Girish Thunga

Study Design

Type
Meta-Analysis
Sample size
n = 492
Population
492 participants from ten studies
Methods
Systematic review and meta-analysis following PICOS and PRISMA guidelines, searching PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane library from inception to September 2020

Background

Treatment with N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) in rodenticide poisoning has not been well established due to mixed study results and insufficient evidence. This review aimed to summarize the clinical benefits of NAC in the management of rodenticide poisoning.

Methods

This review follows the PICOS framework and the PRISMA guidelines. Pub- Med/MEDLINE, Scopus, and the Cochrane library were searched to identify the published literature from inception to September 2020, and a reference search was performed for additional relevant studies. The English language studies addressing the use of NAC in rodenticide poisoning were considered for the review. We considered all experimental and observational studies due to the insufficient number of interventional studies.

Results

Ten studies (two RCTs, four observational, and four descriptive) out of 2,178 studies with 492 participants were considered for the review. Only six studies (two RCTs, one prospective, and three retrospective studies) reported recovery and mortality. Pooled results of RCTs (n=2) showed a significant recovery rate (Odds Ratio 95% Confidence Interval [CI]:1.69-9.30), whereas summary estimates of prospective and retrospective studies recorded a non-significant effect. Metaanalysis of RCTs (OR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.11-0.59; n=2) and retrospective studies (OR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.15-0.78; n=3) showed a significant reduction in mortality, whereas pooled analysis of prospective studies recorded a non-significant effect. A significant reduction in intubation or ventilation (OR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.11-0.60; 2 RCTs) and a non-significant (P=0.41) difference in duration of hospitalization was observed with NAC when compared to the non-NAC treated group. The quality of the included studies appeared to be moderate to high.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that NAC showed better survival and lower mortality rate when compared to non-NAC treated group; hence NAC can be considered for the management of rodenticide poisoning.

Research Insights

Back to top