Patients requiring ICU treatment for acute poisoning-a 20-year single-center retrospective : Acute poisoning in intensive care

This study presents a relevant collective of patients with acute poisoning admitted to a medical intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary care center in Germany during the past two decades. Our study aims at providing an overview of patients' motivation for intoxication, their behavioral pattern...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin, 2023-05, Vol.118 (4), p.283
Main Authors: Bremen, Kristin, Wirtz, Theresa H, Brozat, Jonathan F, Abu Jhaisha, Samira, Hohlstein, Philipp, Pollmanns, Maike, Buendgens, Lukas, Trautwein, Christian, Koch, Alexander
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use
Critical Care
Female
Hospitalization
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Male
Poisoning - therapy
Retrospective Studies
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Summary:This study presents a relevant collective of patients with acute poisoning admitted to a medical intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary care center in Germany during the past two decades. Our study aims at providing an overview of patients' motivation for intoxication, their behavioral patterns, and subsequent treatment regimens. A total of 1030 patients admitted to the medical ICU of the RWTH Aachen University Hospital due to acute poisoning from January 1999 to December 2019 were included in our study. Demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as therapeutic procedures and outcomes were analyzed in detail and compared between age- and gender-related subgroups. The most common substances that led to acute poisoning were medical substances, especially antidepressants. Substances varied between gender and age. The most frequent cause leading to acute poisoning in both females and males was suicidal intent associated with an intake of antidepressants. 286 patients (28%) developed ≥ 1 organ failure. The overall mortality was 2.6%. Comparing the first (1999-2009) and second decade (2010-2019), there was a distinct trend towards a more frequent intake of antidepressants and alcohol, whereas the use of benzodiazepines decreased. Although the overall patient mortality was low, patients with acute poisoning accounted for nearly 10% of all ICU admissions and required valuable resources despite limited capacity.
ISSN:2193-6226
DOI:10.1007/s00063-022-00937-1