Therapeutic drug monitoring in drug overdose

The treatment of poisoned patients is still largely defined by history, cli nical assessment and interpretation of ancillary investigations. Measuremen t of drug concentrations is clinically important for relatively few compoun ds. Most measurements form an adjunct to and should not be considered a sub stitute for clinical assessment. Drug concentrations are particularly impor tant for those compounds where the concentration is predictive of serious t oxicity in an otherwise asymptomatic patient.