Publication:

Outcome of patients with OPC poisoning who require mechanical ventilation: a statistical analysis

Background Poisoning constitutes about 60% of deliberate self-harm in rural Asia. OPCs account for 80% of pesticide poisoning. Ravi et al reported the incidence of organophosphorous poisoning as around 1.26 lakhs in India. Patients will be required ventilator support for management in most of cases and hence study is being done to find the association of factors in patients with prolonged ventilator support.

Methods Statistical analysis was carried out for 50 patients after categorizing each variable like age, sex, type of compound, quantity, serum pseudo cholinesterase levels, respiratory failure, intermediate syndrome and other clinical signs.

Results Out of 50 patients 74% of patients required more than 10 days of ventilation and methyl parathion was the frequent compound associated with prolonged ventilation and 60% of patients who required 4-8 days of atropinisation and also patients who had low pseudocholinesterase levels at the onset had required prolonged ventilation.

Conclusions The results show that outcome of patients with OPC   poisoning is associated with type of compound, period of atropinisation, quantity, pseudocholinesterase levels. So immediate treatment is most important to improve mortality in OPC poisoning.