Objective: Intoxication is a major public health concern worldwide. The aim of our study was to evaluate cases of intoxication in medical intensive care unit (ICU) in terms of demographics characteristics, complications, treatments employed, and mortality.
Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center, observational, descriptive study. The sample included patients over 18 years of age who had been diagnosed with intoxication in the medical ICU between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019. Patients’ demographic characteristics, laboratory values, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores, poisoning severity scores, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, complications developed, and clinical courses were reviewed. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality.
Results: Eighty three patients were enrolled in this study. By sex, 56.6% of the patients were female and 43.4% male. Toxic agent exposure was unintentional in 25.3% of patients but associated with attempted suicide in 74.7%. The causative agents were drugs (72.3%), mushroom (15.7%), methyl alcohol (8.4%), and pesticides (3.6%). Analgesics and anti-inflammatory agents were most common causative agents among intoxication cases. The 28-day mortality was 4.8%. In all non-survivors, cause of death was methyl alcohol intoxication.
Conclusion: Intoxication was most commonly observed in young, married women, most commonly caused by drugs, and most often associated with attempted suicide.