Citation

Horn J, Seefried G, Becher K, Platt D. Med. Welt. 1995; 46(5): 238-243.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, F K Schattauer)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Medical records of 3730 patients admitted between 1982 and 1992 as a consequence of an acute intoxication were investigated in order to obtain data for a ten year survey. 184 patients, representing 4.9% of the total, were 65 or older. The main cause for poisoning in this age group were suicide attempts and, to a lesser extend, accidentally intoxications. The older group required a longer treatment period (5.2 days, on the average) as compared to younger ones (2.9 days). Data obtained from patients aged 65 or more revealed that (I) there was a 10% decrease in the number of elderly patients who became intoxicated during this time and 8% increase in the number of the younger ones; (II) a slight reduction in the number of suicide attempts; (III) a relatively constant number of benzodiazepine poisoning (about 28% per year); (IV) a decrease in the number of barbiturate poisoning, and (V) an increase in the number of alcohol intoxications in women. Improvement in therapeutic management for elderly patients and medical progress in antidotes therapy (most notably the introduction of Flumazenill coupled with less severe intoxications as a consequence of changes in drug prescription and application led to a reduction in the admission time and in the mortality rate from 3% to 13%.

Language: de

Keywords

human; female; male; Poisoning; accident; alcohol; aged; aging; mortality; suicide attempt; alcohol intoxication; article; major clinical study; prescription; barbituric acid derivative; drug intoxication; length of stay; intensive care unit; health survey; benzodiazepine; flumazenil; intensive care unit (ICU); suicide survey