[Cases of acute poisoning admitted to a medical intensive care unit].
OBJECTIVE
Because of the paucity of information on the epidemiology of acute poisoning requiring intensive medical care, all such patients treated on the medical intensive care unit of the university hospital in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, between January 1993 and December 1999, were retrospectively evaluated.


METHODS
Of the total of 6211 patients, 147 (80 women, 67 men, mean age 41 years, 2,3 %) were treated for acute intoxication in the intensive care unit.


RESULTS
Reasons for admission to the intensive care unit were the need for ventilator treatment or intensive monitoring of vital functions. 52 % of the patients (n = 76) had attempted suicide, most of them using anti-depressive drugs (n = 19), paracetamol (n = 16), or benzodiazepines (n = 9). Two patients (2,6 %) died. 48 % of the patients (n = 71) were admitted because of accidental poisoning. Leading toxic agents in this group were heroin (n = 19), alcohol (n = 18) and digitalis (n = 12). 11 patients had taken herbicides, animal poisons or chemicals used at work or for house cleaning. In this cohort, three i. v. drug abusers (4,2 %) had died. Depending on the agents used, a variety of treatments (charcoal, antidots, extracorporal therapy) were undertaken.


CONCLUSIONS
Due to excellent care in the prehospital phase and in the emergency room the number of patients requiring treatment on the intensive care unit was rather low. The mortality was in the range of other reports.
Viertel
A
A
Medizinische Klinik IV/Nephrologie, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main.
Weidmann
E
E
Brodt
H R
HR
D000059:Accidents; D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000506:poisoning; D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000506:poisoning; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000506:poisoning; D000931:Antidotes; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000506:poisoning; D002606:Charcoal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004070:Digitalis / Q000506:poisoning; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006540:Herbicides / Q000506:poisoning; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006795:Household Products / Q000506:poisoning; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted
D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D000931:Antidotes; D006540:Herbicides; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D002606:Charcoal; D000082:Acetaminophen
Akute Vergiftungen in der internistischen Intensivmedizin.