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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings
Published on: November 9, 2016
Medication overdoses: changes over time
Jordi Puiguriguer-Ferrando1, Christopher Yates-Bailo1, Elena Gervilla-García2
1Unidad de Toxicología, Servicio de Urgencias. Hospital Universitario Son Espases. Grupo de Trabajo en Toxicología Clínica del Área de Neurociencias del Institut d'Investigació Sanitària de Baleares (IdiSBA), España.
Objectives:
To review changes occurring over time in cases of medication overdose attended by an emergency department.
Material And Methods:
Retrospective review of epidemiologic and care variables related to drug poisonings in a university teaching hospital in 2007 and 2017. We used multivariate analysis to compare the 2 years.
Results:
A total of 750 cases were included; 438 (58.4%) were from 2007. Fewer cases were seen in 2017 even though the total numbers of emergencies and poisonings had risen (P<.001). Fewer cases were suicides or suicide attempts in 2017 (P<.001), and digestive tract decontamination and antidotes were used less often (P<.001 and P=.007, respectively). Admissions (P=.004) and voluntary self-discharges or patient losses were also down in 2017 (P=.03). However, multidrug poisonings increased (P=.001), especially in the context of recreational drug use by men. Benzodiazepine overdoses accounted for most of such cases (65.1%).
Conclusion:
Medication overdoses seem to be decreasing, although the proportion of men overdosing is rising. Suicide attempts, the abuse of specific medications, and admissions also seem to be decreasing.
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