TABLE 1.
Study design, characteristics, and outcomes of 18 retrospective studies included in the analysis.
| Author (year)Country | Study design/patient number Age/sex (male %) | Intervention | Mortality, OLT (N, %) | Hepatotoxicity (N/Tot, %) | AEs (N, %) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescott et al. (1979) | Retrospective study involving 100 patients | NAC I.V. | 2/100 (2%) | 21/100 (21%) | none |
| United Kingdom | 13–82 years | 150 mg/kg→ 50 mg/kg > 100 mg/kg less than 10 h vs. more than 10 h | |||
| Male 33% | |||||
| Harrison et al. (1990) | Retrospective study involving 43 patients | NAC I.V. standard dose | 15/43 (34.5%) | 28/43 (65%) | none |
| United Kingdom | Adult (>18 years) | ||||
| Male 35% | |||||
| Yip et al. (1998) | Retrospective consecutive case series of 1131 patients | NAC oral and I.V. NAC I.V. administration of the oral preparation (76) | 3/1131 (0.26%) | 0 | 4/76 AEs (5.3%) |
| United States | Newborn—67 years | (erythema, itching) | |||
| Male 33% | |||||
| Buckley et al. (1999) | Case series, 205 patients | NAC I.V. | 2/205 (0.97%) | 30/205 (14%) | 12 AEs (6%) |
| Australia | 0–89 years | 300 mg/kg for 20 h | Flushing and urticaria. Anaphylactic reactions | ||
| Male 36% | |||||
| McCormick et al. (2000) | Not reported, 110 patients | NAC oral | 1/110 (0.90%) | 4/110 (3.6%) | NR |
| Ireland | 13–85 years | ||||
| Male 44% | |||||
| Woo et al. (2000) | Retrospective cohort study | NAC oral <21 h; 20–21 h; >21 h | 0 | 6/75 (8%) | NR |
| California, United States | 75 patients | ||||
| 12–76 years | |||||
| Male 34% | |||||
| Whyte et al. (2007) | Retrospective analysis | NAC I.V. <8 h vs. >8 h | 12/399 (3%) | 53/399 (13%) | 37 (9, 3%) AEs |
| Australia | 399 patients | ||||
| 0–96 years | (anaphylactic, nausea, vomiting) | ||||
| Male 35% | |||||
| Myers et al. (2008) | Retrospective, 290 patients | NR | 15/290 (5%) | 70/290 (24%) | NR |
| Canada | 0–96 years | ||||
| Male 32% | |||||
| Yarema et al. (2009) | Retrospective with historical controls, 4048 patients (2086 I.V. 1962 os) | NAC oral vs. I.V. | 11 (3 + 8)/4048 | 599/4084 (14%): 89/2086 IV (13.8%) | 147/2086 (7%) anaphylactic reactions |
| Canada | Adult >18 years | (0.27%) | 310/1962 OS (15.8%) | ||
| Alhelail et al. (2011) | Retrospective, 119 patients | NAC oral and I.V. | 6/119 (5%) | 44/119 (36%) | NR |
| Saudi Arabia | Adult >18 years | ||||
| Male 36% | |||||
| Khandelwal et al. (2011) | Retrospective, 210 patients | NR | 103/210 (49%) | 187/210 (89%) | NR |
| United States | Adult >18 years | ||||
| Male <50% | |||||
| Offerman (2011) | Retrospective cohort, 428 patients | Oral vs. I.V. NAC | 4/428 (0.9%) | 4/428 (0.9%) | NR |
| United States | Adult >18 years | ||||
| Male 27% | |||||
| Pettie et al. (2012) | Retrospective, case note review, 71 patients | NAC I.V. | 0 | NR | NR |
| United Kingdom | 14–94 years | ||||
| Male 30% | |||||
| Hou et al. (2013) | Medical records, 147 patients | Route of administration of NAC not reported | 1/147 (0.68%) | 15/147 (10%) | NR |
| Taiwan | Adult >18 years | ||||
| Male 18% | |||||
| Varney et al. (2014) | Multileft retrospective, 37 patients | NAC 140 mg/kg oral | 4/37 (10%) | 12/37 (32%) | 8 (21%) non-serious AEs, (nausea, vomiting) |
| United States | Adult >18 years | ||||
| Male 46% | 150 mg/kg I.V. | ||||
| Curtis and Sivilotti, (2015) | Observational case series, 68 patients | NAC I.V. | 9/68 (13%) | 28/68 (41%) | NR |
| Canada | Adult >18 years | ||||
| Male 37% | |||||
| Radosevich et al. (2016) | Retrospective cohort, 80 patients | NAC I.V. | 5/80 (6,25%) | 26/80 (32%) | 0 (0%) |
| Arizona, United States | Adult >18 years | 150 mg/kg→ 50 mg/kg > 100 mg/kg | |||
| Male 30% | |||||
| Yarema et al. (2018) | Retrospective study, 6450 patients | NAC I.V. <21 h; 20–21 h; >21 h | 136/6450 (2.1%) | NR | 528 (8,2%) anaphylactic reactions, mainly cutaneous |
| Canada | Adult >18 years | ||||
| Male 30% |