A 2-year-old boy weighing 13 kg is brought to the emergency department 40 minutes after his mother found him b…

Question

A 2-year-old boy weighing 13 kg is brought to the emergency department 40 minutes after his mother found him beside her open bottle of iron tablets, with an orange-stained tongue. The bottle held thirty tablets when it was dispensed yesterday and eighteen remain. He is alert and playing, has not vomited, and his abdomen is soft and non-tender. She cannot remember which iron preparation she was given. Which one of the following pieces of information is essential before his risk can be assessed?

Accepted Answer

The elemental iron content per tablet

Answer

His serum iron concentration now

Answer

The time his mother last counted the tablets

Answer

Whether he has abdominal pain

Answer

Whether the tablets were sugar-coated

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