Evaluation of Recovery Rate in Poison Patients with or Without Standard Antidote Treatment

Aim: To evaluate the recovery rate of poisoning with regards to the availability and administration of standard antidote.

Introduction: Poison consumption is one of the most common causes of death across the world. The reason is its easy availability and impulsive behaviour associated with suicidal thoughts. Antidotes are the agents which counteract the harmful effects of poison. Poisoning can be treated with antidotes but not all poisons have antidotes, this study helps to analyze the effectiveness of antidotes in early recovery from poisoning accompanied by stabilization techniques implemented.

Methodology: A prospective observational study was conducted in the inpatient department of General Medicine, Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad from October 2021 to March 2022.

Results: Poison consumption was more predominant among males, and young adults are the most affected age group. Suicide was identified as the primary reason for poison intake, while accidental poison ingestion was mostly seen in children. Pesticides were the most commonly consumed poisons. The antidote was administered in approximately 33% of cases, while it was not provided in 15%. For the remaining cases, an antidote was not available. The overall recovery rate was 77%, with females showing higher recovery rates than males. Adolescents had the highest recovery rate, followed by middle-aged adults.

Conclusion: Our study concludes that the recovery was rapid in cases where a standard antidote was available and administered. Performing decontamination techniques within a few hours of poison consumption was also efficient.