Abstract
Objective: To study the particulars of patients who presented with poisoning, either intentional or accidental, at a tertiary care hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Methods: An observational study was conducted at the District Headquarters Hospital Rawalpindi from January 2015 to July 2015.The demographic details of patients, route, type of poison, cause of poisoning, prior history of such event, initial presentation in the emergency department and outcome were recorded.
Results: During the study period, 271 patients were enrolled. Females were 56.1% (n=152) of the total study population. Most of the patients came with intentional intake of organophosphate agents 43.9% (n=119) followed by wheat preserving pills 13.3% (n=36), corrosive intake11.1% (n=30) and benzodiazepines 9.2% (n=25). Other common substances were opioids, painkillers, PPD, multivitamins, antibiotics and unknown agents, while 4.4% (n=12) came with snake bite. 12.5% (n=34) patients expired during the study period. Wheat preserving pill poisoning was the most common cause of death.
Conclusion Organophosphate agents and wheat preserving pills were two most common substances used in poisoning. The reasons being an agriculture based economy, poverty and easy availability of these toxic agents.
Key words: Accidental, Intentional, Poisoning.
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