Intoxicaciones exógenas por intentos suicidas en una unidad de cuidados intensivos / Exogenous intoxications due to suicide attempts in an intensive care unit

Introducción: Las intoxicaciones exógenas agudas son tan antiguas como la humanidad. Objetivo: Caracterizar a los pacientes con intoxicación exógena aguda atribuible a intento suicida. Método: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y retrospectivo de 26 pacientes con el citado diagnóstico, atendidos en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos del Hospital General Docente Orlando Pantoja Tamayo de Contramaestre, provincia de Santiago de Cuba, desde enero hasta diciembre de 2017. Las variables analizadas fueron: grupos etarios, sexo, ocupación, tóxicos utilizados por estos pacientes, escala de Glasgow al ingreso, uso del carbón activado y tiempo de empleo, así como tipo de tratamiento. Resultados: En la serie prevalecieron los pacientes de 20-39 y 40-59 años de edad, así como los psicofármacos, seguidos por organofosforados, antiinflamatorios y antihistamínicos como los tóxicos más usados. En más de la mitad de los afectados la escala de Glasgow osciló entre 9 y 13 puntos. El lavado gástrico y el carbón activado fueron los métodos de desintoxicación más empleados. Conclusiones: Las intoxicaciones exógenas constituyen una verdadera urgencia médica, por tanto, es importante tener en cuenta el tiempo trascurrido entre el accidente y el tratamiento. Cuanto más precoz sea la intervención médica requerida, mejor será el pronóstico final de estos pacientes; por ello las acciones en el nivel primario de atención son determinantes.

Introduction: The acute exogenous intoxications are as old as humanity. Objective: To characterize the patients with acute exogenous intoxication attributable to suicide attempt. Method: A descriptive and retrospective study of 26 patients with this diagnosis, assisted in the Intensive Cares Unit of Orlando Pantoja Tamayo Teaching General Hospital in Contramaestre, Santiago de Cuba, was carried out from January to December, 2017. The analyzed variables were: age groups, sex, occupation, toxics used by these patients, Glasgow scale at admission, use of charcoal and time of use, as well as type of treatment. Results: In the series the 20-39 and 40-59 years patients prevailed, as well as the psycho drugs, followed by organophosphorus compounds, anti-inflammatory and histamine antagonists as the most used toxics. In more than half of those affected patients the Glasgow scale oscillated between 9 and 13 points. The gastric lavage and charcoal were the most used detoxification methods. Conclusions: The exogenous intoxications constitute a true medical emergency, therefore, it is important to keep in mind the time between the accident and the treatment. The earlier the required medical intervention, the better will be the final prognosis of these patients; reason why the actions in the primary care level are determining.

Initial diffusion-weighted MRI and long-term neurologic outcomes in charcoal-burning carbon monoxide poisoning.

CONTEXT: This study assessed the results of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) at presentation for acute charcoal-burning carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and investigated whether the initial DWI results can predict long-term neurologic outcomes. METHODS: The study included 128 patients who suffered from CO poisoning after burning charcoal and underwent DWI. These patients were divided into two groups based on imaging results: a normal DWI group and an abnormal DWI group. Data regarding clinical courses and long-term neurologic outcomes (persistent severe neurologic sequelae) were collected and compared. RESULTS: The rate of abnormal DWI findings at presentation was 23.4%, and the most common site of abnormalities was the globus pallidus. All lesions in abnormal DWI had decreased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. The long-term neurologic state was assessed at a median follow-up of 19.5 months, and the frequency of poor long-term neurologic outcome was significantly higher in the abnormal DWI group (40.0% in the abnormal DWI group vs. 1.0% in the normal DWI group; p < .001). Abnormal DWI (odds ratio [OR]): 31.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.5-397) and old age (OR 1.1, 95% CI: 1.001-1.13) were independent factors for poor long-term neurologic outcomes, whereas the Glasgow Coma Scale score at presentation (OR: 0.7, 95% CI: 0.6-0.9) was negatively associated with the risk of poor long-term neurologic outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In cases involving CO poisoning due to charcoal burning, DWI at presentation may help predict the long-term neurological outcome after discharge.

Suicide by gassing in Hong Kong 2005-2013: Emerging trends and characteristics of suicide by helium inhalation.

BACKGROUND: Increased use of lethal suicide methods can have a profound impact on overall suicide incidence; the epidemic of suicide by barbecue charcoal gas poisoning in some East Asian countries is a recent example. There have been concerns about recent rises in suicide using gases in some Western countries. METHODS: We investigated suicide by gassing in Hong Kong (2005-2013) using Coroner's files data. The characteristics were compared between suicide by helium inhalation, charcoal gas poisoning, and other methods. RESULTS: About one sixth (1407/8445, 16.7%) of all suicides used gases. Charcoal-burning suicides constituted the majority (97.5%) of them but showed a reduction over the 9-year period (-33%). Helium suicide was not recorded in 2005-2010 but increased from one in 2011 to three in 2012 and 11 in 2013, accounting for 1.2% of all suicides in 2013. Similar to the profile of charcoal-burning suicides, helium suicides were younger and more likely to have debt problem and less likely to receive psychiatric treatment than other suicides. Internet involvement related to the method was found in one third of cases of helium suicide. LIMITATIONS: The small number of helium suicides (n=15) limits the power to examine their characteristics. CONCLUSION: Suicide by charcoal burning showed a downward trend whilst there was an alarming increase in helium suicide in Hong Kong. Public health measures to prevent an epidemic of helium suicide similar to that of charcoal-burning suicide may include close monitoring of trend, responsible media reporting, and restricting online information about and access to this method.

Forensic aspects of carbon monoxide poisoning by charcoal burning in Denmark, 2008-2012: an autopsy based study.

Carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation is a well-known method of committing suicide. There has been a drastic increase in suicide by inhalation of CO, produced from burning charcoal, in some parts of Asia, and a few studies have reported an increased number of these deaths in Europe. CO-related deaths caused by charcoal burning have, to our knowledge, not been recorded in the Danish population before. In this retrospective study we present all autopsied cases of CO poisoning caused by charcoal burning in the period 2008-2012. 19 autopsied cases were identified, comprising 11 suicides, 4 accidents, and 2 cases of maternal/paternal filicide-suicide. The mean age of decedents was 38.2 years and the majority of the decedents were men. In 16 cases carboxyhemoglobin levels were above 50 % and in 14 cases we found distinctive cherry red livor mortis. Various concentrations of ethanol and drugs were found in 9 cases. Data suggest that this method of death has increased significantly in Denmark. Therefore, it is highly relevant to draw attention to the subject, to increase awareness as well as prevent future escalation.

Temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides among the working age population in Hong Kong SAR: the influence of economic activity status and sex.

BACKGROUND: Charcoal burning in a sealed room has recently emerged as the second most common suicide means in Hong Kong, causing approximately 200 deaths each year. As charcoal burning suicide victims have a unique sociodemographic profile (i.e., predominantly economically active men), they may commit suicide at specific times. However, little is known about the temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides. METHODS: Suicide data from 2001 to 2008 on victims of usual working age (20-59) were obtained from the registered death files of the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong. A total of 1649 cases of charcoal burning suicide were analyzed using a two-step procedure, which first examined the temporal asymmetries in the incidence of suicide, and second investigated whether these asymmetries were influenced by sex and/or economic activity status. Poisson regression analyses were employed to model the monthly and daily patterns of suicide by economic activity status and sex. RESULTS: Our findings revealed pronounced monthly and daily temporal variations in the pattern of charcoal burning suicides in Hong Kong. Consistent with previous findings on overall suicide deaths, there was an overall spring peak in April, and Monday was the common high risk day for all groups. Although sex determined the pattern of variation in charcoal burning suicides, the magnitude of the variation was influenced by the economic activity status of the victims. CONCLUSION: The traditional classification of suicide methods as either violent or nonviolent tends to elide the temporal variations of specific methods. The interaction between sex and economic activity status observed in the present study indicates that sex should be taken into consideration when investigating the influence of economic activity status on temporal variations of suicide. This finding also suggests that suicide prevention efforts should be both time- and subgroup-specific.

The impact of media reporting of the suicide of a singer on suicide rates in Taiwan.

PURPOSE: To examine if widespread media reporting of the suicide of a young female singer by charcoal burning increased suicide rates, and to examine whether the suicide induced a high risk of imitation suicide by this method among the young female group. METHODS: Poisson time series autoregression model was applied to examine the relative risk of overall and subgroup (age, gender and method) suicides during the 2-week period after the initiation of media reporting of the celebrity suicide. RESULTS: We found a significant increase (adjusted relative risk = 1.17, p = 0.04) in suicide deaths following media reporting of the celebrity suicide. The increase in suicides was particularly significant among female and young age groups. A marked increase in suicide by charcoal burning among females (adjusted relative risk = 1.44, p < 0.0001) was further observed. CONCLUSIONS: Detailed description of a specific suicide method following celebrity suicides may induce extensive modeling effect, attracting wider age/sex groups to model the method. Our finding provides further support for restraining media reporting of celebrity suicide in suicide prevention.

Hand warmer related corrosive injury.

INTRODUCTION: Corrosive injury of the esophagus and stomach is never been reported after intoxication of hand warmers. Herein we reported a case that had grade IIA corrosive injury found by endoscopic examination. CASE REPORT: An 84 year-old woman with a history of dementia ingested the contents of hand warmers. She had radiopaque patches in the stomach and duodenum. Upper endooscopic examination revealed corrosive injury of the esophagus and stomach. She recovered with the use of deferoxamine and proton pump inhibitor (PPI). DISCUSSION: The hand warmer contains activated charcoal, salt, and vermiculite, and 50% of iron powder. In previous literature, ingestions of one hand warmer packet or less are considered less toxic. But in our case, corrosive injury of the esophagus and stomach is obvious. CONCLUSION: It appears that significant toxicity will occur after ingestion of one hand warmer packet. Appropriate gastrointestinal decontamination and aggressive management are needed for all patients who are hand warmers intoxicated.

Epidemiology of severe carbon monoxide poisoning in children.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of severe pediatric CO poisoning cases treated with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) to determine key features that might aid prevention efforts. DESIGN: Using data on 250 consecutive children treated with HBO2 for CO poisoning at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, we calculated descriptive statistics and used Fisher's Exact test to determine differences in case frequency of CO sources with respect to race/ethnicity. RESULTS: There were 236 (94%) unintentional and 14 (6%) intentional poisonings. Loss of consciousness occurred in 50%. The average initial carboxyhemoglobin level was 19.0 +/- 10.3% (mean +/- SD; range 0.3% to 57.6%). Months with the highest proportion of incidents were November (15%), December (12%) and January (14%). Children 0-2 years old were most often poisoned by charcoal briquettes (40%), in contrast to older children who were most often poisoned by motor vehicle. Females were most often poisoned by charcoal briquettes (28%), in contrast to males in which motor vehicle exhaust predominated (41%). Minorities were disproportionately affected by CO poisoning compared with non-Latino whites (P < 0.001). Overall, motor vehicle exhaust predominated for Non-Latino whites (33%), while Non-Latino blacks (55%) and Latinos (71%) had significantly higher proportions of poisonings by charcoal briquettes (P < 0.001). All intentional cases occurred in adolescents aged 15 to 17 years, 71% of these in males, mostly by motor vehicle exhaust (79%). CONCLUSIONS: Severe pediatric CO poisoning demonstrates a seasonal pattern with key sources of exposure varying by gender, age, and race/ethnicity. Minorities are at increased risk for severe CO poisoning. Intentional CO poisoning occurs primarily among adolescent males and by motor vehicle exhaust. Prevention efforts should take these factors into consideration.

Delayed neuropsychiatric impairment after carbon monoxide poisoning from burning charcoal.

Poisoning by carbon monoxide from burning charcoal has become one of the popular and lethal ways of attempting suicide in Hong Kong. Survivors of the carbon monoxide poisoning often face acute and delayed adverse problems in both their physical and mental health. We report two cases of delayed onset neuropsychiatric complications caused by carbon monoxide poisoning from burning charcoal. These symptoms were characterised by a latent period, followed by an abrupt and profound deterioration in the neurocognitive function with a seemingly reversible course. The literature is reviewed regarding the aetiology, pathophysiology, and management of this condition. Regular monitoring of their neurocognitive function and forewarning of this potential complication to the survivors of carbon monoxide poisoning and their families should be essential.

Pressure-controlled ventilation attenuates lung microvascular injury in a rat model of activated charcoal aspiration.

BACKGROUND: Previous animal data suggest that aspiration of activated charcoal is associated with pulmonary microvascular injury that may be related to excessive ventilator-induced airway pressures. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that ventilator-induced airway trauma contributes to the lung vascular injury observed following activated charcoal aspiration. METHODS: Capillary filtration coefficient (Kf,c), a sensitive measure of lung microvascular permeability, was determined isogravimetrically prior to and after intratracheal instillation of 0.4 ml/kg (12% weight/vol. solution, pH 7.4) activated charcoal oran equal volume of sterile water in isolated, perfused rat lungs in which ventilation was either pressure-controlled at 10cm H2O or volume-controlled at 5 ml/kg. RESULTS: There was significant lung injury in both activated charcoal groups regardless of ventilation method compared to control lungs or lungs administered sterile water (p < 0.05 ANOVA). However, injury to pressure-controlled ventilated lungs was significantly less than lungs ventilated with traditional, volume-controlled ventilation. CONCLUSION: The results of this investigation demonstrate that pressure-controlled ventilation reduces the lung microvascular injury observed following aspiration of activated charcoal as compared to traditional volume-controlled ventilation methods.

Pneumoconiosis among the activated-carbon workers.

The prevalence of respiratory symptoms and chest radiographic and spirometric abnormalities was assessed among 397 employees of an activated carbon plant. Definite radiographic findings of pneumoconiosis, consisting of p-type, rounded opacities in the lower lung fields without firbosis or coalescence, were present in 9.6% of men and were related to cumulative dust exposure. Lesser degrees of radiographic abnormality suggesting pneumoconiosis were present in 11% of men and 2% of women. Spirometric values were substantially lower in blacks than in whites. However, cumulative dust exposure was not an important determinant of pulmonary function in either race. Review of lung biopsy speciments that had been obtained previously in two employees revealed extensive carbon depositiion but minimal associated fibrosis. Prolonged inhalation of activated carbon dust leads to pulmonary deposition of carbon and raciographic signs of pneumoconiosis; such deposition has little, if any, effect on respiratory symptoms or pulmonary function.