Characteristics of Drug Poisonings Seen in the Emergency Department of an Urban Hospital.

BACKGROUND

Drug poisoning, either intentional or non-intentional, is a frequent diagnosis in the emergency department (ED), necessitating patient management from multiple services.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the drug poisonings seen in the ED of a large academic urban hospital.

METHODS

This retrospective descriptive study used 3 years of data (2018-2020) abstracted from the hospital's electronic medical record system and linked to validated, coded extracts from the Canadian Institute for Health Information Discharge Abstract Database. Patients with a diagnosis of acute drug poisoning who presented to the ED were identified on the basis of International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision, Canada (ICD-10-CA) codes, and data were collected for demographic characteristics, the drugs involved, in-hospital management, and inpatient outcomes. Patients with diagnosis of an acute drug reaction, inebriation, or nondrug or in-hospital poisoning were excluded. Data were stratified and analyzed in relation to the intent of drug poisoning.

RESULTS

A total of 2983 visits for drug poisoning, involving 2211 unique patients (mean age 38.3 [standard deviation 16.2] years, 54.7% female), were included, yielding an overall incidence rate of 15.7 drug poisonings per 1000 ED visits (8.1 intentional, 6.4 non-intentional, and 1.3 unknown intent). Among the 1505 intentional drug poisonings, the most prevalent drug sources were antidepressants (n = 405, 26.9%), benzodiazepines (n = 375, 24.9%), and acetaminophen (n = 329, 21.9%); in contrast, opioids (n = 594, 48.1%) were most prevalent for the 1236 non-intentional poisonings. For 716 (24.0%) of the poisoning visits, the patient was admitted to acute care services, and the in-hospital mortality rate was 1.0% (n = 31). In addition, 111 patients (9.0%) with non-intentional drug poisoning left against medical advice. Finally, for 772 (25.9%) of the poisoning visits, the patient returned to the ED after discharge with a subsequent drug poisoning.

CONCLUSIONS

Drug poisonings are a common cause of visits to urban EDs. They are rarely fatal but are associated with substantial utilization of hospital resources and considerable recidivism.