Retrospective Evaluation of Intoxication Cases Presented to Sivas Numune Hospital

Abstract

Aim: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the epidemiological and demographic features and prognosis of all patients admitted to the emergency department and followed in intensive care unit due to poisoning. Methods: We resrospectively evaluated the patients over 14 years of age, who attended to the emergency department and was followed in our intensive care unit due to poisoning, were evaluated according to their demographic characteristics, anamnesis and prognosis. Results: Of 1894 patients, who were admitted to the emergency department, 1034 were female (54.8%). The mean age was 32.76±14.88 years. 36.4% of these patients were suicide attempters. Three hundred twenty-eight patients (17.3%) were admitted to the intensive care unit. Two hundred thirty-four (17.3%) were females and the mean age was 27.98±13.87 years. Of those patients, 263 (80.2%) were treated for drug intoxications, 33 (10.1%) for carbonmonoxide (CO) intoxications, 18 (5.5%) for food intoxications, 4 (1.2%) for insecticide poisoning, 4 (1.2%) for bee sting, 3 (0.9%) for rat poison intoxications, 1 (0,3%) for alcohol intoxication, and 1 (0.3%) was treated for snakebite. 80.5% of them were suicide attempters. The most frequently taken drugs were antidepressants (25.8%). Conclusion: Intoxication cases admitted to the emergency department and intensive care unit were mostly young women, and drug overdose was the most common attempted method of suicide. The most frequent used drugs were antidepressants. In this study, we determined the patient profile of intoxication in Sivas province. (The Medical Bulletin of Haseki 2013; 51: 178-82)

Keywords

• Intoxication
• antidepressant
• intensive care unit
• emergency department