Poisoning

This study aimed to determine the epidemiological differences between children and adult oral exposures in patients admitted to the busiest emergency department (ED) in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey.
METHODS:
The characteristics of 1950 patients were investigated retrospectively and in a cross-sectional manner in a two-year period.
RESULTS:
The ratio of poisoning exposures among all emergency admissions was 0.6%. Of these, 44.5% were children, and 54.4% were unintentional. The mortality rate was 0.1% and the rate of hospitalization was 14.9%. Among the children and adults, 50.3% and 29.5% were male, respectively. While the first two causes of exposures in both children and adults were licit drugs and foods, there were differences in other causes. Among causes, licit drugs and corrosive materials constituted the forefront in the 0-1 and 1-5-year age groups. In parasuicidal causes, the most common exposure was found to be licit drugs, followed by organophosphates. The most common cause of hospitalization was plants (60.5%). The hospitalization rate was found to be significantly high in males and unintentional exposures. The rate of admissions to the psychiatry polyclinic following exposure was 15%.
CONCLUSION:
This study hereby presents the original findings as to predict the problems in exposures. The distribution of etiological agents and suicidal intent rate may differ among pediatric and adult population (Tab. 4, Fig. 1, Ref. 50).

Background: Platelet count is a readily available biomarker predicting disease severity and
risk of mortality in the intensive care units (ICU). This study aims to describe the frequency, to
assess the risk factors, and to evaluate the impact of thrombocytopenia on patient outcomes in
a Toxicological ICU (TICU).
Methods: In this prospective observational Cohort study, we enrolled 184 patients admitted
to our TICU from October 1st, 2019, to August 23rd, 2020. Mild/moderate and severe
thrombocytopenia were defined as at least one platelet counts less than 150×103/μL and
50×103/μL during the ICU stay, respectively.
Results: Of 184 enrolled patients, 45.7% had mild to moderate thrombocytopenia and 5.4%
had severe thrombocytopenia. Old age (OR: 1.042, 95%CI: 1.01-1.075, P=0.01), male
gender (OR: 4.348, 95%CI: 1.33-14.22, P=0.015), increased international normalized ratio
(INR) levels (OR: 3.72, 95%CI: 1.15-112, P=0.028), and administration of some medications
including heparin (OR: 3.553, 95%CI: 1.11-11.36, P=0.033), antihypertensive drugs (OR:
2.841, 95%CI: 1.081-7.471, P=0.034), linezolid (OR: 13.46, 95%CI: 4.75-38.13, P<0.001),
erythromycin (OR: 19.58, 95%CI: 3.23-118.86, P=0.001), and colistin (OR: 10.29, 95%
CI 1.44-73.69, P=0.02) were the risk factors of hospital-acquired thrombocytopenia. The
outcomes of patients with normal platelet count were significantly better than those who
developed thrombocytopenia (P<0.001).
Conclusion: We found that thrombocytopenia could develop in almost 50% of patients
admitted to TICU, which is associated with poor prognosis. Additionally, the platelet counts
should be closely monitored to administer some medications (heparin, antihypertensive drug,
and linezolid), especially in old patients.

Poisoning in children is a common accident and poison information services should be aware of the toxic agents responsible for poisoning in the community. A retrospective hospital based study was performed, before-the establishment of the National Poisons Information Centre in Sri Lanka. There were 4,556 admissions of poisoning to the selected hospitals in the Western Province in 1986 and of this, 540 (11.4%) were below 15 years. Males accounted for 66%. Kerosene oil was responsible for 47% of the poisoning cases in less than 5 years age group, while kerosene oil, pesticides and plants/mushrooms were the commonest toxic agents in the 5 to 14 years age group. The case fatality rate was 3.2%.

Hay en la Unión Europea, según los datos oficiales (nada aireados), muchos miles de muertos y muchos centenares de miles de enfermos por efectos negativos de las vacunas "de nueva tecnología" contra el Covid-19. No esperen oír esto en la tele ni leerlo en el periódico.

The aim of this prospective study was to analyze the rate and characteristics of acute poisoning cases admitted to adult intensive care unit (ICU). All cases of acute poisoning admitted to ICU of the Harran University Hospital, Turkey, between July 2002 and May 2005, were included in this study. Clinical, laboratory, and demographic characteristics, type of poison and patient&#39;s outcomes were recorded. There were 86 poisoning cases among 844 patients admitted to the ICU. The mean age was 26 +/- 9 years and the majority of the patients (56.9%) were 15-24 years of ages. Eighty percent of acute poisonings were self-inflicted and 65.2% of these patients were singles. Medical drugs overdose were the major cause (51.2%) of intoxication followed by agricultural chemicals (37.2%). The most frequently involved medicinal drugs were benzodiazepines, antidepressants and analgesics. Eleven patients in pesticides-rodenticides and 9 patients in other medical drugs poisoning have required mechan...

Drawing from the general description that ethnopharmacology studies the human use of crude drugs and poisons in a traditional context, ethnopharmacological themes in native art can be defined as themes visualizing different features of traditional medicines and poisons, such as natural sources, methods of preparation, containers, usage and implements, target diseases and effects. This review documents that native African art objects and utensils are a goldmine of such ethnopharmacological themes by focusing on the following subjects: (a) objects related to the use of medicines (sources as well as tools for their collection, preparation and keeping); (b) objects related to the use of poisons (e.g. for ordeals, hunting and fishing); (c) objects related to the use of psychotropic agents (e.g. alcoholic beverages, kola nuts, smoking and snuffing materials); (d) pathological representations (e.g. treponematoses, leprosy, smallpox, swollen abdomen, scrotal enlargement, goiter and distorted faces); and (e) portrayals of certain types of treatment (e.g. topical instillations, perinatal care, and surgery). To avoid the impression that ethnopharmacology has little else to offer than armchair amusement, an epilogue outlines the medical relevance of this interdisciplinary science for Western and African societies.

2014 will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the massive toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide Corporation’s pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Even after three decades, the effects of the tragedy are still visible throughout the slums surrounding the abandoned site. The aim of this research was to examine the aftermath and a few instances of disastrous consequences of the catastrophe. Various consequences, let it be long-term or short, will be presented in this paper.

In some situations, and particularly when intoxications are suspected, it would be advantageous if medicines and drugs of abuse could be swiftly detected in serum or urine. The Department of Clinical Pharmacology at St. Olav University Hospital has since 2004 been developing a comprehensive toxicology service (at all hours 7-days/week) for immediate quantitative analysis of between 80 and 90 substances. We here present the service in further detail and evaluate its usefulness during its first full year, 2005. Two case reports are presented to further illustrate the possible benefits of this service. Urgent testing was requested for a total of 390 samples; 351 serum and 39 urine samples. The most common indications for requesting such analyses were suspected acute intoxication (46%) and suspected therapeutic failure/adverse drug reaction (31%). 88% of the serum samples obtained for acute intoxications were positive, and 48 different substances were detected. The substances most often...

After his spectacular conquests from Persia to India in 334!24 BC, Alexander the Great died of mysterious causes after a heavy drinking party in Babylon (Iraq) in 323 BC, just before his 33rd birthday. Alexander’s untimely death aroused suspicions of poisoning among his closest companions; conspirators were accused of killing him with a mysterious toxin collected from the River Styx in southern Greece. Ancient historians were divided about the cause of death; some favored a plot while others believed in natural causes. Modern histor- ians and toxicologists are also divided on whether Alexander died of disease or poison. Modern attempts to retrodiagnose Alexander’s fatal illness, by analyzing the detailed symptoms the king reportedly suffered in the 2 weeks before death, have resulted in many theories. Proposed natural causes include alcohol poisoning, malaria, typhoid fever, septi- cemia, and accidental physician error; deliberate murder theories focus on aconite, arsenic, fermented hellebore, and strychnine.

Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is a commonly used recreational drug among humans; animals may be exposed following ingestion or accidental inhalation of smoke. From January 1998 to January 2002, 213 incidences were recorded of dogs that developed clinical signs following oral exposure to marijuana, with 99% having neurologic signs, and 30% exhibiting gastrointestional signs. The marijuana ingested ranged from 1/2 to 90 g. The lowest dose at which signs occurred was 84.7 mg/kg and the highest reported dose was 26.8 g/kg. Onset of signs ranged from 5 min to 96 h, with most signs occurring within 1 to 3 h after ingestion. The signs lasted from 30 min to 96 h. Management consisted of decontamination, sedation (with diazepam as drug of choice), fluid therapy, thermoregulation and general supportive care. All followed animals made full recoveries.

Colourless and odourless, each year carbon monoxide is responsible for several thousand cases of poisoning. Often collective, their symptoms are non specific and can result in serious neurological sequelae or even death, if they are not detected in time. The (pre-) hospital emergency nurse plays an important role in the management of these patients, in terms of assessment, treatment and monitoring as well as the organisation of the admittance of victims, categorisation and medical triage. As part of a team, the nurse ensures that the patient enters an adapted, regulated pathway, with the most serious cases being directed towards a hospital equipped with a hyperbaric medicine facility.