Objective:

Poisoning has been an important human problem since ancient times. The definition of a poison as a substance drug whch was potentially fatal was first introduced by the British in 1230. In our study, we aimed to retrospectively evaluate the cases of poisoning admitted to the Mustafa Kemal University Hospital between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2010.

Material and Methods:

Poisoning cases admitted to the emergency room were reviewed retrospectively. Age, gender, places of transportation,clinical status, types of poisoning, intoxication periods, locations and methods of treatment, length of stay and outcomes were evaluated.

Results:

A total of 134 cases of poisoning were studied, of whom 30.6% were male and 69.4% were female. The mean age was 27.87±12.97. The cases were referred to hospital, 53.7% were fully conscious, 35.1% were confused and 11.2% were unconscious Drugs that cause poisoning were classified as,multiple drug (47patients-35.1%), antidepressants (29 patients-21.6%) and pesticides (26 patients-19.4%), respectively. Poisoning is most commonly seen in December. One hundred and twenty-three (91.8%) patients were treated by gastric lavage, activated charcoal and antidote. Seventy-five patients (56%), in the emergency bed service, 21 out (15.6%) in intensive care and 38 patients (28.4%) under emergency observation were discharged following observation. Most of the cases (53 cases 39.6%) were (determined 3 days lies) kept under observation as inpatients for 3 days. The patients were evaluated according to the results of follow-up and treatment; 131 patients (97.8%) were discharged after treatment, 3 patients (2.2%) were transferred No death occurred in the cases of poisoning which were treated.

Conclusion:

Poisoning was most commonly seen following multiple drug intake, in suicide attempts in adults, and in children by accidental ingesting. Most of the patients can be kept under observation in emergency beds and discharged from the service, by experienced emergency physicians. In order to reduce the incidence of poisoning, the family and society should be educated cleaning agents kept in inaccessible places and advice given regarding not prescribing unnecessary drugs or selling drugs without prescription.

Keywords: Poisoning, emergency service, multi-drug