Background: Organophosphate (OP) compounds are used as insecticides. Given the widespread availability and use of these chemicals, OP poisoning is quite common following either accidental or intentional exposures. Immediate intensive care management can save lives in these patients. We aimed to investigate intensive care management provided to OP poisoning patients in a tertiary care hospital in Turkey.
Subjects and methods: This was a retrospective chart review of 62 patients, admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with OP poisoning between 2000 and 2012.
Results: Of the 62 patients studied, 40 (65%) were male, 45 (73%) were suicide attempts, 59 (95%) ingested the OP compounds, and three patients (5%) (two patients with suicide and 1 with accidental exposure) died in the ICU. There were statistically significant differences between survivors and nonsurvivors for Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on admission (P = 0.034), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score (P = 0.003), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (P = 0.024), time to initiation of treatment (P = 0.034) and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (P = 0.007).
Conclusions: Organophosphate poisoning is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate diagnosis and management. GCS, APACHE II score, SOFA score, and time to admission to the emergency department and LDH levels can provide prognostic information and predict outcomes.