title: The growing impact of pediatric pharmaceutical poisoning.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand which medications, under which circumstances, are responsible for the noted increase in pediatric medication poisonings, resource use, and morbidity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patient records from 2001-2008 were obtained from the National Poison Data System of the American Association of Poison Control Centers for children aged ≤5 years evaluated in a health care facility following exposure to a potentially toxic dose of a pharmaceutical agent. Pharmaceutical agents were classified as over-the-counter or prescription and by functional category. Exposures were classified as child self-ingested the medication or as therapeutic error. For the 8-year period, emergency visits, admissions, significant injuries, and trends in these events were calculated for each substance category.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We evaluated 453 559 children for ingestion of a single pharmaceutical product. Child self-exposure was responsible for 95% of visits. Child self-exposure to prescription products dominated the health care impact with 248 023 of the visits (55%), 41 847 admissions (76%), and 18 191 significant injuries (71%). The greatest resource use and morbidity followed self-ingestion of prescription products, particularly opioids, sedative-hypnotics, and cardiovascular agents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevention efforts have proved to be inadequate in the face of rising availability of prescription medications, particularly more dangerous medications.
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA. randall.bond@cchmc.org
authors.forename: G Randall
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.forename: Randall W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Woodward
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011039:Poison Control Centers / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D055553:Prescription Drugs