salicylate poisoning

Commonly used salicylate drugs in clinical practice include aspirin (acetic salicylic acid, acetylsalicylic acid), compound aspirin, sodium salicylate, sodium salicylate mixture, methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil), and other tinctures and ointments containing salicylates. Salicylate poisoning is usually caused by a single excessive dose or long-term large-scale use, and accidental overdose is more likely to occur in infants. External application of salicylate ointments or powders to large areas of broken skin can lead to poisoning through skin absorption. Patients with dehydration, hepatic or renal insufficiency, or hypoprothrombinemia are more prone to severe toxic reactions. Salicylates can cross the placental barrier, and excessive intake by pregnant women often causes poisoning in the fetus or newborn. Children ingesting 2 to 4 times the therapeutic dose of aspirin or sodium salicylate may develop toxic symptoms. The minimum lethal dose of aspirin is approximately 0.3 to 0.4 g/kg. The minimum lethal dose of sodium salicylate is approximately 0.15 g/kg, and the lethal dose of wintergreen oil ingested by children is approximately 4 ml.