[Severe acute intoxication treated in the intensive care unit in 1986-1997]

To ascertain the epidemiology of the severe acute intoxications in an intensive care unit and to assess the PCR prognosis and death rate related to the different toxic substances.

Retrospective study conducted in the 10-bed polyvalent intensive care unit at a General Hospital for adult care. Study conducted over a 12-year period. Review of the clinical histories of the patients admitted as a result of severe acute intoxications. Data was gathered regarding demographic aspects. PCR at admission, need to VM, complications of the severe acute intoxications and death rate for the series. An overall as well as a year-by-year analysis was conducted. The data was processed statistically employing the SPSS package using the Student "t" or the Chi-square, taking values as being significant if p < 0.05.

233 subjects, 130 of whom were males, were included in this study. The average stay totaled 4 days. Sixty-three percent (63%) of the patients were under 40 years of age (p < 0.05). The most frequent type of intoxication was that caused by one single medication (72%). The survival rate following the PCR was 40% (4/10). The overall death rate totaled 5.6% (n = 13), 92% of the subjects who later died having been required VM at some point in time during their stay in the intensive care unit.

In our environment, the most frequent type of intoxication is that which is caused by medication. The death rate has been revealed to depend upon the intentional aspect, however as being independent of the type of toxic substance (medication or non-medication). The PCR related to severe acute intoxication has a better prognosis for our series than that related to other diseases and disorders. The VM for severe acute intoxications has a low death rate (15.7%).