Patients admitted to an intensive care unit for poisoning

This paper presents our experience with patients admitted for poisoning to the adult medical intensive care unit (MICU), Tan Tock Seng Hospital, from 1 January 1993 to 31 December 1995. Case records of 50 consecutive patients admitted to the MICU for management of poisoning were retrospectively analysed for epidemiologic data and intensive care interventions. There were equal proportions of male and female patients. The majority (76%) were in the economically productive age group of 21 to 60 years old. Most patients (24 out of 50) stayed for 1 day only. The most common drugs involved were organophosphates and carbamates (16 occurrences), benzodiazepines (12 occurrences), tricyclic antidepressants (12 occurrences), and phenothiazines (8 occurrences). About a third involved multiple-agent poisoning; this was significantly more common in males. Fifty-eight per cent of patients had suicidal intent. There were 4 deaths (8%) during this period; 3 of these were due to poisoning by organophosphates and carbamates. Seventeen patients were ventilated, 2 underwent peritoneal dialysis, and 1 underwent forced diuresis.