Are poisonings inflicted upon others always criminal?
While self-poisoning is a common cause for hospitalization, in the experience of our toxicological intensive care unit and emergency department, poisoning of other persons appears to be quite rare. We identified 32 patients in a non-exhaustive review of patients presenting over a 28-y period who had been unequivocally poisoned by others. We examine here the circumstances leading up to these poisonings, along with their clinical outcomes, and propose a classification scheme based on underlying intent.
Bismuth
C
C
Réanimation Médicale et Toxicologique, Hôpital Lariboisière, Université Paris VII, France.
Pierlot
P
P
Borron
S W
SW
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001497:Battered Child Syndrome; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003415:Crime; D017579:Domestic Violence; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011041:Poisoning / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D017236:Suicide, Assisted