Medical toxicology

Medical toxicology

Medical toxicology, or clinical toxicology, is a subspecialty of medicine. It is practiced by toxicologists, but toxicologic knowledge is often used in emergency medicine, occupational medicine and pediatrics.[1] Toxicologic knowledge is applied in the assessment and treatment of acute or chronic poisoning, adverse drug reactions (ADRS), overdoses, envenomations, and chemical exposures.

One of the central laboratory medical tests in clinical toxicology is the toxicology screen ("tox screen"), an analysis of blood, urine, and/or other body fluids for specific drugs or chemicals when acute poisoning or an adverse drug reaction is suspected in an individual patient.

See also

References

Further reading

  • Dart, Richard C. (2003). Medical toxicology. Phila: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 0-7817-2845-2. 
  • Nelson, Lewis H.; Flomenbaum, Neal; Goldfrank, Lewis R.; Hoffman, Robert Louis; Howland, Mary Deems; Neal A. Lewin (2006). Goldfrank's toxicologic emergencies. New York: McGraw-Hill, Medical Pub. Division. ISBN 0-07-143763-0.