Abstract

EXNER, Christopher J  and  GUILLERMO URQUIZO, A. Intoxicación por organofosforados: experiencia institucional. Cuad. - Hosp. Clín. [online]. 2007, vol.52, n.1, pp.60-63. ISSN 1562-6776.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to describe the demographics, symptoms and hospital course of patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) of the Hospital de Clinicas, La Paz, Bolivia with organophosphate (OP) intoxication, with the aim of determining which factors might predict a complicated hospital course. METHODS This was a retrospective chart review using predefined criteria of 300 patients, who were admitted between Jan. 1, 2003 and Dec. 31, 2003. RESULTS The intoxications were all oral ingestion, mostly intentional (97%), and in young patients (mean age 23.9, range 13-62). Females outnumbered males almost 2:1. The most common symptoms on admission were abdominal pain (83%), nausea/vomiting (79%), miosis (72%), bronchorrhea (44%), diarrhea (41%) and fasciculations (31%). The most frequent complications were aspiration (18%), cardiopulmonary arrest (9%) and seizure (7%); mortality was 6%. Treatments included gastric lavage in 96% of patients, and atropine (mean dose 7.75mg per patient, σ = 7.33mg). A predominance of cholinergic symptoms at admission was associated with a higher rate of complications. Although almost all intoxications were suicide attempts, less than half of patients received psychiatric consultation. CONCLUSIONS OP intoxication is a common cause of self-inflicted morbidity and mortality among young people in La Paz, Bolivia. Presence of predominantly cholinergic symptoms at admission suggests a higher likelihood of complications during hospitalization

Keywords : Intoxication; organophosphate; gastric lavage; atropine.

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