İstanbul Bakırköy Kadın Doğum ve Çocuk Hastalıkları Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Çocuk Acil, İstanbul, Türkiye

Objectives: It is aimed to examine the demographic and clinical characteristics of the acute poisoning cases in 2005, and to evaluate the monitorization and treatment applications and their results. Methods: The acute poisoning cases whose ages vary between 0-19 and who were brought to pediatric emergency clinic were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Most of the cases were between the ages 1-5 (65%). The substance that poisoned most was the medications (55.5%). Among the medication, analgesics (27.21%) and antidepressant (16.32%) drugs were most common. Treatment methods applied were intravenous fluid (55.77%), activated charcoal (37.45%), gastric lavage (37.05%), antidotes (2.40%), other medications (2.79%), and provocating vomiting (0.40%). The monitorization and treatment of the most cases (82%) were completed in the emergency service. Conclusion: The main poisoning reason was the accidental medicine taking of a child accidentally or due to the carelessness of the families. The poisoning for self-murder purpose is less. Besides the precautions to be taken by the families, medicine manufacturers and the physicians; determining the epidemiologic characteristics of the poisonings in our country is needed for prevention of childhood poisonings, and reducing the mortality and morbidity.