A Ten-Year Clinico-Epidemiology Profile of Poisoned Patients in a Tertiary Care Emergency Department in the Black Sea Region of Türkiye

Authors : Mustafa Cicek, Melih İmamoğlu, Özgen Gönenç Çekiç, Aynur Şahin, Abdulkadir Gündüz

Pages : 66-73

Doi:10.54996/anatolianjem.1618180

View : 60 | Download : 46

Publication Date : 2025-06-26

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Aim: This study aimed to analyze the demographic, etiological, and clinical characteristics of acute poisoning cases, along with 10year trends, in patients presenting to a tertiary emergency department in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Türkiye. Material and Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 1811 patients aged over 17 years who were diagnosed with intoxications between 2007 and 2016. Data were collected from the emergency department database. Key variables included demographics, intoxication agents, clinical presentations, and outcomes. Decontamination and elimination techniques, as well as trends in substance use and presentation times, were evaluated. Results: Of 505,525 emergency department visits, 0.4% (n=1811) were due to intoxications, predominantly involving females (63.1%) and individuals aged 17–24 years (50.0%). Suicide attempts accounted for 60.7% of cases, with 44.6% of these patients having a psychiatric history. The most common agents were analgesics (24.4%) and antidepressants (24.3%), with paracetamol and amitriptyline being the most frequently implicated drugs. Decontamination was applied to 57.3% of patients, and antidote therapy to 13.4%. Over the decade, a shift from amitriptyline to paracetamol poisonings was observed. Mortality was low, at 0.2%, and 90.8% of patients fully recovered. Conclusion: This study highlights significant changes in poisoning agents over a decade, with increasing paracetamol use and decreasing amitriptyline-related cases. These findings underscore the importance of region-specific epidemiological studies to guide preventive and clinical strategies, reduce intoxication-related morbidity and mortality, and improve public health policies.
Keywords : Akut zehirlenme, ilaç doz aşımı, retrospektif çalışma, toksikoloji

ORIGINAL ARTICLE URL