Saline Catharsis: Effect on Aspirin Bioavailability in Combination with Activated Charcoal

Abstract

The effect of a saline cathartic combined with activated charcoal or activated charcoal alone on aspirin bioavailability was characterized in six healthy volunteers. Using a random, Latin‐square design, subjects were given 975 mg aspirin followed by either water alone, 15 Gm activated charcoal (AC), or 15 Gm activated charcoal plus 20 Gm sodium sulfate (AC + SS) separated by one week. Both AC (44.16 ± 16.85 μg/ml) and AC + SS (58.61 ± 10.63 μg/ml) decreased (P < 0.001) the maximal plasma salicylate concentration (C_pmax) compared to control (86.61 ± 12.69 μg/ml). Urinary salicylate recovery was decreased (P < 0.01) for AC (57.88 ± 16.26 per cent) and AC + SS (61.00 ± 11.49 per cent) as compared to control (93.73 ± 6.83 per cent), while for area under the plasma concentration‐time curve (AUC) only AC showed a decrease (P < 0.01) compared to control. Neither AC nor AC + SS differed from each other for C_pmax, AUC, or cumulative urinary recovery. Our findings indicate that the addition of sodium sulfate to activated charcoal has no added effect on limiting aspirin absorption relative to activated charcoal alone.