Pediatric Poisonings Control - Results and Recommendations From An Emergency Department Injury Registry

Background/Purpose: Intoxications and poisonings are among the most common diagnoses in Emergency Departments. While childhood poisonings have been studied in high income countries for years, limited data are available for middle and low income countries. We are aware of no prior studies conducted in eastern Europe. This retrospective study identifies the distribution and major risk factors for childhood poisoning cases treated in the Emergency Department (ED) of a major children's hospital in Romania.

Methods: A retrospective record review of children aged 0 – 19 who were admitted and treated for poisonings between January 1999 and December 2003 was conducted. Injury diagnoses and cause of injury were coded using ICD-10. Study variables used in this analyses included gender, age, injury diagnoses, source of poisoning, cause of injury, injury intent, and disposition.

Results/Outcomes: Poisonings represent a high-percentage (37.3%) of pediatric injury-related ED visits. The most common poisoning substances were: medication (35%), alcohol (26%), chemical products (19%) and carbon monoxide (14%). Half of the poisonings were unintentional and were more common among children age five and younger. Intentional poisonings were mostly caused by medication, alcohol or a combination of both and were more common among patients between 10 and 18 years of age.

Conclusions: Poisonings represent more than one-third of the injury cases seen in the Cluj-Napoca ED. In addition to being a high cost for the family the affected children represent a high cost for the emergency unit as well. However most of the poisonings causes identified are preventable through injury control initiatives.