Objectives: To review changes occurring over time in cases of medication overdose attended by an emergency department.
Material and methods: Retrospective review of epidemiologic and care variables related to drug poisonings in a university teaching hospital in 2007 and 2017. We used multivariate analysis to compare the 2 years.
Results: A total of 750 cases were included; 438 (58.4%) were from 2007. Fewer cases were seen in 2017 even though the total numbers of emergencies and poisonings had risen (P<.001). Fewer cases were suicides or suicide attempts in 2017 (P<.001), and digestive tract decontamination and antidotes were used less often (P<.001 and P=.007, respectively). Admissions (P=.004) and voluntary self-discharges or patient losses were also down in 2017 (P=.03). However, multidrug poisonings increased (P=.001), especially in the context of recreational drug use by men. Benzodiazepine overdoses accounted for most of such cases (65.1%).
Conclusion: Medication overdoses seem to be decreasing, although the proportion of men overdosing is rising. Suicide attempts, the abuse of specific medications, and admissions also seem to be decreasing.
Objetivo: Análisis de la evolución temporal de las intoxicaciones medicamentosas (IM) atendidas en urgencias hospitalarias.
Metodo: Estudio retrospectivo, con análisis multivariante de variables epidemiológicas y asistenciales de IM, comparando la casuística de los años 2007 con 2017, en un hospital universitario.
Resultados: Se incluyeron 750 casos, 58,4% del 2007. En 2017, disminuyeron la causa suicida (p < 0,001), el empleo de descontaminación digestiva (p < 0,001) y antídotos (p = 0,007), y los ingresos (p = 0,004), altas voluntaria o fugas (p = 0,03). Se incrementó por el contrario la intoxicación múltiple (p = 0,001), especialmente en varones y en contexto recreativo. Las benzodiacepinas fueron los fármacos más implicados en las IM (65,1%).
Conclusiones: Existe una tendencia al descenso de las IM atendidas, con incremento en varones, menos intencionalidad suicida, menos uso de terapéuticas específicas y menos admisiones hospitalarias.
Keywords: Epidemiology of poisoning; Epidemiologia de intoxicación; Intoxicación medicamentosa; Intoxicados; Medication overdose; Poisonings; Registros toxicológicos; Toxicology registries.