Neonatal poisonings in middle Anatolia of Turkey: an analysis of 72 cases

In this study, 72 newborn infants who were followed with the diagnosis of poisoning in Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, between 1975 and 1997 were evaluated retrospectively. Our purpose was to emphasize the importance of newborn poisoning among general poisoning in childhood. The age of infants ranged from 10 min to 25 days (0.82 +/- 2.81 days). Forty-seven (65.2%) infants were poisoned before or during delivery. Of the 47 infants' mothers, 46 had preeclampsia or eclampsia, and 27 received only magnesium sulfate; nine magnesium sulfate + diazepam; four magnesium sulfate + nifedipine; and the others received various drug combinations. Aside from these, one mother had Addison's disease and she used long-term dexamethasone during her pregnancy. In the newborn period, five (6.9%) infants inhaled organophosphate insecticides; eight (11.1%) ingested corrosive agents (four benzalkonium chloride; three chlorhexidine gluconate + cetrimide and an infant ammonium); four (5.5%) were poisoned by overdose of digoxin; three (4.1%) ingested overdose of phenobarbital; and two (2.7%) received acepromazine maleate. In addition, each infant ingested diphenoxilate HCL + atropine sulfate, pipenzolate bromid and tizanidine HCL. Follow-up period of the infants ranged from 24 hr to 26 days (0.82 +/- 2.81 days). The mortality rate was 17% (12/72). Death was not noted in the infants who were followed with poisoning after delivery. The causes of death were as follows: sepsis in four infants, meningitis, respiratory distress syndrome and necrotizing enterocolitis in two infants each, and the effects of overdose of magnesium sulfate and diazepam in two infants, respectively. In conclusion, we would like to stress that newborn infants whose mothers received magnesium sulfate or another drug during pregnancy or delivery should be closely monitored, and calculation of drug doses should be carefully taught to hospital nurses. When baby-rooms are disinfected with organophosphate insecticides in a hospital or house, infants should be removed from the room for at least 24 hr, and use of drugs should be explained in detail to the mothers.