Pattern of Acute Organophosphorus Poisoning at a Tertiary Care Hospital of Western Maharashtra

Description

Background: Every year, 3 million cases of pesticide, mainly O.P. poisoning, occurs all over the world. Therefore, statistics regarding O.P. poisoning in a specific region will aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of cases. The main objective of this research project is to find out the pattern of O.P. poisoning cases at the tertiary care center. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study, in which we analyzed data from 40 cases of O.P. poisoning, including patient information regarding gender, age, time of ingestion, type of poison, mode of poisoning, any first aid received, treatment given, duration of hospital stay and outcome of the treatment. Results: There were 16 females (40%) and 24 males (60%). The most common age group was 21 to 40 years, with 19 participants (47.50%). The majority of the participants were from the rural area, 38 cases (95%), while in 36 cases, the poisoning was suicidal (90%). 28 participants (70%) received some form of first aid. In addition, 21 of the participants received Atropine (52.50%), 13 received only gastric lavage (32.50%), 5 received both Atropine and Pralidoxime (12.50%), while one patient only received Pralidoxime (2.5%) as treatment. I.C.U. admission was required in 39 participants (97.50%), and ventilatory support was required in 2 participants (5%). Our study observed 4 deaths (10%) amongst our participants. The multivariate analysis of deaths in our study showed that specifically not receiving any first aid (p = 0.039) and requirement of the ventilator (p<0.001) were seen to have a significant association with deaths in our study. Conclusion: O.P. poisoning is the commonest cause of suicidal deaths in developing countries. Creating awareness regarding O.P. poisoning and legislative action on using hazardous poisons will help reduce the deaths.