Original Articles
Vol. 21 No. 1 (2025)
Emergency department poisoning and toxicology patients admitted to the high dependency and intensive care units: an eight-year analysis
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Received: 19 August 2024
Accepted: 7 November 2024
Accepted: 7 November 2024
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Data on patients with poisoning requiring ICU (Intensive Care Unit) & HD (High Dependency) care in Singapore is inadequate. In this study, we describe the epidemiological, clinical characteristics, implicated agents, interventions, and outcomes of patients with toxic exposures admitted to HD & ICU. We conducted a retrospective and observational study. Hospital records of all cases referred to CGH Toxicology Service from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2022 were reviewed. A total of 245 (9.6%) out of 2547 patients reviewed required HD or ICU care. 131 patients were admitted to ICU, while 114 patients were admitted to HD beds. Amongst those admitted to ICU, male to female ratio was approximately 60:40, and the commonest age group was 31-40 years old (19.9%), while deliberate self-harm poisoning accounted for 52.7 % of these cases. Benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, anti-depres-sants, and opioids class of drugs and medications were the most associated with ICU admissions. The fatality rate was 3.2 %. Car-diotoxic drugs, anti-psychotics, and anti-depressants class of med-ications were associated with most fatalities.
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How to Cite
Emergency department poisoning and toxicology patients admitted to the high dependency and intensive care units: an eight-year analysis. (2024). Emergency Care Journal, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2024.12945
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