RESUMO
Background:Poisoning in childhood is major health concern. But the profile of substances used & their relative outcome change according to age, availability of substances, pattern of life and medical awareness in different geographical areas.In this hospital-based study, we sought to investigate the epidemiology and outcome of acute poisoning among children admitted to a pediatric emergency department. Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study conducted in Pediatric department of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, a tertiary care hospital in Ranchi, Jharkhand .Children and adolescents less than 18 years of age with diagnosis of acute poisoningduring January 2018 –June2018 were included in the study. Results:In our study,97children presented with diagnosis of acute poisoning (3.32% of admissions). 59patients (60.8%)were boys. The greatest proportion of patients (45%) were aged between 1 and 5 yrs. Regarding the intention of poisoning, 91.8% were accidental .Bites accounted for 32.9%, drug ingestion- 19.5%, hydrocarbon ingestion & pesticide,rodenticide for 13.4% , corrosives-1%, household items- 2%, unknown substance -17% of the total cases.14 patients (14.4%)required admission to intensive care unit.Mean duration of hospital stay was 40 hrs. 2 children succumbed to complications during the study period, others were discharged successfully. Conclusion:Most of pediatric poisoning cases are preventable calamities. Death due to poisoning in children can largely be avoided if sufficient awareness can be created among parents and guardians.