Retrospective evaluation of patients at follow‑up with acute poisoning in Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Objective: Poisonings are among the major causes of emergency visits and intensive care hospitalizations. The aim of our study is to evaluate intoxicated patients at follow‑up and treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in terms of demographic characteristics, type of poisonings and results of treatment.
Materials and Methods: Patients at follow‑up aged 17 or older admitted with intoxication to the ICU between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2011 were included in the study. Age, gender, presenting symptoms, duration of hospitalization, type of poisoning, the way of poisoning, medical history, seasons, hospitalization costs, treatment and prognosis of the patients were analyzed.
Results: Totally, 153 (8.9%) out of 1375 follow‑up patients in the ICU had acute intoxication. The mean age of intoxicated patients was 29.4 ± 11, 68% of them were female, 78.4% of them were under 35 years old, and intoxication was most common in the 17–25 age group. 114 of them (94.1%) were suicidal. The most common cause of poisoning was drug‑poisoning by 88.2%, and most common presenting symptoms were nausea and vomiting by 71.2%. Mean length of stay was 2.4 ± 1.6 days, and the average cost of hospitalization was 761 ± 884 Turkish Liras or 271 ± 315 USD. 5 patients (3.3%) were intubated because of respiratory failure. There was no mortal case.
Conclusion: Suicide attempts are prominent in acute poisoning, and the young female population is at higher risk. It was found that drugs, particularly antidepressants and antipsychotic agents were the most common cause of poisoning. The high cost of treatment of acute intoxication cases is a major cause of economic burden. Clinicians should be more careful when prescribing such drugs.

Key words: Cost, intensive care, intoxication, prognosis