This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Jacobsen, D. Articles by Ødegaard, O.R. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Jacobsen, D. Articles by Ødegaard, O.R. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Clinical Course in Acute Self-poisonings: A Prospective Study of 1125 Consecutively Hospitalised Adults

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Central Laboratory, Medical Departments 7, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

P.S. Frederichsen

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Central Laboratory, Medical Departments, 8 and 9, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

K.M. Knutsen

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Central Laboratory, Medical Departments, 8 and 9, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

Y. Sørum

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Central Laboratory, Medical Departments, 8 and 9, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

T. Talseth

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Central Laboratory, Medical Departments, 8 and 9, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

O.R. Ødegaard

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Central Laboratory, Medical Departments, 8 and 9, Ullevaal University Hospital & Medical Departments A and B, Aker University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

1 The clinical course in an unselected group of 1125 consecutively hospitalised self-poisonings was studied during 1 year in Oslo.

2 Mortality was 0.5%, but only 0.3% in those admitted without cardiac and respiratory arrest. Mortality among those in grade IV coma was 4.2%.

3 The deepest comas (grade III or IV) occurred in 25.1% of the admissions with a mean duration of the coma of 5.8 h (range 1-80).

4 Complications occurred in 21.7% of the admissions and 6.9% suffered more than one complication of which the most frequent were respiratory depression (13.5%), hypotension (5.3%), pneumonia (4.4%), and hypothermia (1.6%). The complication rate was highest in poisonings with opiates (60.7%), meprobamate (37.5%) and antihistamines (30.0%).

5 Arrhythmias and respiratory depression were closely associated with poisonings with antidepressants and opiates, respectively. Owing to frequent polydrug overdoses it was difficult to associate other complications with other main toxic agents.

6 Administration of antidotes (20.6%), cuffed intubation (4.4%) and forced alkaline diuresis (3.4%) were the most frequent special therapeutic measures taken.

7 The change in pattern of self-poisonings in Oslo focuses on antidote therapy and intensive care, especially outside hospital, but limits the need for haemodialysis and haemoperfusion which were performed in only 1.0% of the admissions.

Human & Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 3, No. 2, 107-116 (1984)
DOI: 10.1177/096032718400300204


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?