A STUDY ON PATTERN OF ACUTE POISONING IN AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL
Abstract
Objectives: To study the sociodemographic, type of poisoning and mode of poisoning in an emergency department of a tertiary care hospital.
Methods: A retrospective, observational study of 12 months duration was conducted in a teaching hospital from January 2013 to December 2013.
Data regarding demography, name of poisonous substance, were collected in the pre-structured form and analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: A total of 384 cases of poisoning were recorded. Among this incidence was more common in males (69%) compared to females (31%) with a
ratio 2.22:1. Most of the cases of acute poisoning presented between 21 and 30 years age group (49.5%). The majority of cases were seen among rural
people (64%), farmers (36.5%) followed by manual laborers (30.3%) were most commonly encountered. Suicidal tendency as a mode of poisoning
accounted (73%). Most of the cases of acute poisoning were due to pesticides (62.8%) followed by snakebites (18.2%), drug overdosage (14.4%),
corrosives (2.6%), and kerosene (2%). Among pesticidal poisonings most commonly encountered was organophosphorus (OP) (34.6%) followed by
organocarbamates (11.3%), pyrethroids (10.8%), aluminum phosphide (3.5%), and rat poison (2.6%).
Conclusion: Poisoning was most commonly seen among OP compounds. So, proper educational and training interventions on pesticide handling and
safety precautions, restriction on hazardous pesticides are needed to decrease pesticide exposure to farmers.
Keywords: Poisoning, Organophosphorus compound, Drug overdose, Snakebite.
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