Citation

Puiguriguer-Ferrando J, Yates-Bailo C, Gervilla-García E, Ortega-Pérez J, Alfaro García-Belenguer E, Jiménez-López R. Emergencias 2019; 31(2): 107-110.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SEMES - Sociedad Española de Medicina de Urgencias y Emergencias)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

30963738

Abstract

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.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Adult; Aged; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Spain; Adolescent; Retrospective Studies; Young Adult; Drug Overdose; Suicide, Attempted; Emergency Service, Hospital; Hospitals, Teaching; Poisonings; Medication overdose; Epidemiologia de intoxicación; Epidemiology of poisoning; Intoxicación medicamentosa; Intoxicados; Registros toxicológicos; Toxicology registries