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US Poison Control Center Calls for Infants 6 Months of Age and Younger

A Min Kang1, Daniel E Brooks2

  • 1Department of Medical Toxicology and Banner Poison and Drug Information Center, Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix; and Center for Toxicology and Pharmacology Education and Research, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix; Arizona aaron.kang@bannerhealth.com.

Pediatrics
|January 15, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Therapeutic errors and general unintentional exposures are common in infants under six months. Dosing errors, both quantitative and nonquantitative, are significant concerns requiring targeted prevention strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Toxicology
  • Public Health
  • Emergency Medicine

Background:

  • Poisoning prevention in young children traditionally focuses on restricting access to hazardous substances.
  • Infants under six months, due to limited mobility, are less prone to exploratory ingestions but more susceptible to medication-related errors.
  • The epidemiology of poison exposures in this vulnerable age group is not well-defined, potentially limiting the effectiveness of current prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the epidemiology of poison exposures in infants aged 0-6 months.
  • To identify the primary causes of these exposures, differentiating between general unintentional ingestions and therapeutic errors.
  • To inform the development of targeted anticipatory guidance and prevention measures for this age group.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective analysis of 10-year (2004-2013) exposure data was conducted.
  • Data were sourced from the National Poison Data System, focusing on infants up to 6 months of age.
  • Exposure calls were categorized by reason, including general unintentional and therapeutic errors.

Main Results:

  • Over 271,000 exposures were reported, with 96.7% being unintentional.
  • General unintentional exposures accounted for 50.7%, while therapeutic errors represented 36.7% of cases.
  • Within therapeutic errors, quantitative (47.0%) and nonquantitative (42.8%) dosing errors were nearly equally prevalent.

Conclusions:

  • Both general unintentional ingestions and therapeutic errors are significant contributors to poison exposures in infants under six months.
  • Quantitative and nonquantitative dosing errors represent equally critical issues within therapeutic errors.
  • A notable proportion of affected infants present to healthcare facilities before consulting a poison center, highlighting a gap in initial management and guidance.
Abstract

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