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Acute poisoning in children admitted to pediatric emergency department: a five-years retrospective analysis

Paolo Maurizio Soave1, Antonietta Curatola2, Serena Ferretti3

  • 1Department of Emergency, Anesthesiology and Resuscitation Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" IRCCS, Rome, Italy. paolomaurizio.soave@policlinicogemelli.it.

Acta Bio-Medica : Atenei Parmensis
|March 22, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Most childhood poisonings are unintentional drug ingestions at home. Prevention strategies should target young children and adolescents through public information campaigns.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Toxicology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Acute poisoning is a significant cause of pediatric emergency department visits.
  • Understanding risk factors is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify frequent risk factors for acute poisoning in children.
  • To propose prevention strategies for pediatric poisoning cases.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study in a tertiary care hospital.
  • Analysis of data from 436 children admitted for acute poisoning.
  • Description of poisoning frequency, nature, clinical management, and outcomes.

Main Results:

  • The mean age of affected children was 30 months, with 51.1% being male.
  • 90.1% of poisonings were unintentional, with drug ingestion being the most common cause (39.4%).
  • Most incidents occurred at home (83.7%), with mothers as primary caregivers (61.5%); no fatalities were reported.

Conclusions:

  • Children under 3 years and adolescents over 12 years are at the highest risk.
  • Information campaigns on toxic substances for children, adolescents, and parents are essential.
  • Targeted prevention efforts can reduce the incidence of pediatric acute poisoning.
Abstract

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