Clinical Chemistry Link to Randox Laboratories Web Site
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Clinical Chemistry 37: 1683-1687, 1991;
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an electronic Letter to
the Editor about this paper
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wan, A. T.
Right arrow Articles by Masterton, J. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wan, A. T.
Right arrow Articles by Masterton, J. P.

Clinical Chemistry, Vol 37, 1683-1687, Copyright © 1991 by American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Determination of silver in blood, urine, and tissues of volunteers and burn patients

AT Wan, RA Conyers, CJ Coombs and JP Masterton
Department of Biochemistry, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Silver sulfadiazine cream (SSD) has been used successfully in the management of burn wound sepsis. Silver deposition has been found in the skin, gingiva, cornea, liver, and kidney of patients treated with this cream, causing argyria, ocular injury, leukopenia, and toxicity in kidney, liver, and neurologic tissues. Monitoring concentrations of silver in blood and urine of patients receiving this treatment has become necessary, but sensitive and suitable methods adaptable to a clinical laboratory are still needed. We have developed a flameless thermal atomic absorption spectrophotometric method to measure silver concentrations in blood, urine, and other tissues. The detection limit is 0.4 microgram/L; the within-run precisions (CV) are 5.16%, 3.83%, and 2.79% for concentrations of 5, 13.5, and 42 micrograms/L, respectively; and the between-run precisions are 4.3% and 3.2% for concentrations of 13.5 and 42 micrograms/L. The concentrations of silver in blood, urine, liver, and kidney of subjects without industrial or medicinal exposure are less than 2.3 micrograms/L, 2 micrograms/day, 0.05 microgram/g wet tissue, and 0.05 microgram/g wet tissue, respectively. In SSD cream-treated burn patients, plasma concentrations may be as great as 50 micrograms/L within 6 h of treatment and can reach a maximum of 310 micrograms/L. Silver in urine is detectable after one day of treatment and may reach a maximum of 400 micrograms/day. After absorption, silver was found to be deposited in various tissues. Tissue silver concentrations in one burn patient who died of renal failure after eight days of treatment were 970, 14, and 0.2 micrograms/g wet tissue in cornea, liver, and kidney, respectively.


The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:


Home page
 ANN OCCUP HYGHome page
P. L. DRAKE and K. J. HAZELWOOD
Exposure-Related Health Effects of Silver and Silver Compounds: A Review
Ann. Hyg., October 1, 2005; 49(7): 575 - 585.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 HeartHome page
A Ionescu, N Payne, A G Fraser, J Giddings, G L Grunkemeier, and E G Butchart
Incidence of embolism and paravalvar leak after St Jude Silzone valve implantation: experience from the Cardiff Embolic Risk Factor Study
Heart, September 1, 2003; 89(9): 1055 - 1061.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Clin. Chem.Home page
N. Tsipouras, C. J. Rix, and P. H. Brady
Passage of silver ions through membrane-mimetic materials, and its relevance to treatment of burn wounds with silver sulfadiazine cream
Clin. Chem., February 1, 1997; 43(2): 290 - 301.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1991 by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.