Abstract
1 Blood concentrations of lactate, ketone bodies and non-esterified (free) fatty acids were measured in 45 adult patients on admission to the poisoning treatment centre, with salicylate and mixed salicylate-sedative/ethanol poisoning.
2 Nine patients had blood lactate concentrations above 2 mmol/l and six patients had ketone-body concentrations greater than 1 mmol/l.
3 Eight of the nine patients with hyperlactacidaemia had mixed salicylate/ethanol or sedative poisoning, whereas four of the six patients with hyperketonaemia had pure salicylate poisoning.
4 No direct correlation was found between the presence of these metabolic disturbances and the severity of poisoning.
5 Since only one patient was found with organic acid concentration in the blood exceeding 5 mmol/l, it is concluded that concomitant endogenous acidosis rarely contributes to the acid-base disturbance seen in salicylate poisoning in adults.
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