Evaluation of Poisoning Cases Presenting to the Pediatric Emergency Department

Abstract

Aim: Poisoning in the pediatric population often results in numerous visits to emergency services. The purpose of our study is to conduct a retrospective analysis of the demographic and epidemiological characteristics, clinical progression, laboratory findings, and prognosis of patients who presented to the pediatric emergency outpatient clinic due to poisoning. Material and Methods: The clinical and laboratory features of patients who presented to our hospital's emergency department due to poisoning between March 2019 and March 2020 were retrospectively examined. Statistical analyses were carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows 22.0 software. Results: The mean age of the 624 cases who presented to the pediatric emergency department due to poisoning over a one-year period was 7.9±6.2 (1.0-18.0) years, with 49.8% of them being female (n=311). It was found that the cause of poisoning in 14.6% (n=91) of the cases was a suicide attempt. Drug intoxications accounted for 54.3% (n=339) of all cases, of which 77% (n=261) involved a single drug and 23% (n=78) involved multiple drug consumption. 79.3% (n=495) of the patients, who had an admission time to hospital of 1.3±0.6 (1.0-4.0) hours, were asymptomatic upon arrival, and 71.5% (n=446) were admitted for hospitalization. 28.5% (n=178) were treated on an outpatient basis. 35.3% (n=157) of the hospitalized patients required monitoring in the intensive care unit. The mean hospital stay was determined to be 2.4±1.1 (1.0-11.0) days. Conclusion: Drugs, especially analgesics, are the most frequent cause of poisoning in childhood. The most appropriate strategy for poisoning will be to enact preventive measures, increase societal awareness, and ensure that diagnosis and treatment are swiftly and effectively implemented.