[Selected data concerning acute intoxications with xenobiotics in Poland in the year 2010].

UNLABELLED

There are no reliable studies in Poland evaluating the amount of acute intoxications by drugs, chemical substances, animal venom, plant toxins. The aim of the study was to evaluate selected problems referring to intoxicated patients, who were given medical treatment in all hospitals having contract with National Fund of Health in 2010. All medical interventions, in which the main diagnosis were coded as T36-T65 (with four-character subcategories) according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision, were involved to the study. Also all poisonings with those codes put as comorbidities and positively verified by the authors, were included to the analysis. There were 85 230 acute intoxications in Poland in 2010. In 41 653 cases there were no need of further hospital treatment. Ethanol poisonings were the most common diagnosis among patients treated in the Emergency Departments. The average hospitalization in Toxicology Centers lasted 3.35 days while in other hospitals about 3 days. There is the high percentage of discharges on "patient's demand" (about 12% of all hospitalizations). In Toxicological Units this kind of discharges reaches up to 18%. In 2010 there were 580 deaths because of acute intoxications. It presents 1.33% of all hospitalizations. It's worth to indicate that the mortality rate in critical care departments has reached the level of 17.82%, while in Toxicology Centers the mortality rate was 0.96% in all cases and less than 3% in most severe poisonings.

CONCLUSIONS

In Poland, as it is in other countries, the national toxicological information and control system should be brought into being. The system should be based on Toxicology Centers which should exist in all Polish districts. Taking into consideration the high mortality rate outside the Toxicological Units, there is a need of toxicological education of doctors, nurses and other medical staff. It's necessary to monitor permanently diagnostics, treatment and mortality rate of intoxicated patients.