Evaluation of Poisoning Cases Presenting to the Pediatric Emergency Department

Abstract

Introduction: There are many applications to emergency services due to poisoning in the pediatric population. The aim of our study is to retrospectively analyze the demographic and epidemiological characteristics, clinical course, laboratory results and prognosis of patients who applied to the pediatric emergency outpatient clinic due to poisoning.
 Materials and Methods: The clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients who applied to the pediatric emergency department of our hospital between March 2019 and March 2020 due to poisoning were evaluated retrospectively. Statistical analyzes were performed with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows 22.0 software.
 Results: The mean age of 624 cases who applied to the pediatric emergency department due to poisoning within one year was 7.9±6.2 (1.0-18.0) years, 49.8% of them were female (n=311). It was determined that the cause of poisoning in 14.6% (n=91) of the cases was a suicide attempt. Drug intoxications constituted 54.3% (n=339) of all cases, of which 77% (n=261) had a single drug and 23% (n=78) had multiple drug intake. 79.3% (n=495) of the patients whose admission time to hospital was 1.3 ±0.6 (1.0-4.0) hours were asymptomatic at admission, and 71.5% (n=446) were hospitalized. 28.5% (n=178) were treated as outpatients. 35.3% (n=157) of the inpatients had to be followed up in the intensive care unit. The mean hospital stay was found to be 2.4±1.1 (1.0-11.0) days.
 Conclusion: Drugs, especially analgesics, are the most common cause of poisoning in childhood. The most correct approach in poisoning will be to take preventive measures and raise awareness of the society, and to ensure that diagnosis and treatment are implemented quickly and effectively.