Determinants of Acute Poisoning Related Mortality in Cases Admitted to Poison Control Canter, Ain Shams University Hospitals(PCC-ASUH)

Background : Global estimates of poisoning- related mortality are alarming with variability across regions. Comprehensive insights into the death toll of poisoning in Egypt and related factors are needed. Aim: Highlight various factors of acute poisoning-related mortality in adult cases admitted to Poison Control Center, Ain Shams University Hospitals (PCC-ASUH) in the period from January 2022 to December 2024. Method: An observational retrospective study was conducted including mortalities recorded among all adult admitted with history of acute toxicity throughout the study period. Recorded data in the present study included: age, gender, causative agent, need of ICU admission, mechanical ventilation and clinical manifestations of poisoning. Results: Recorded in-hospital mortalities were 130,187 and 181 cases in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively, constituting 1%, 0.8% and 0.01 % of total cases received. Recorded mortalities were distributed across all age groups, mostly related to male gender and deliberate self-poisoning. Mortalities during 2022 and 2023 were mostly among cases requiring ICU admission. Most cases were intoxicated through oral route with dominance of drugs as causative agents in 2022 (82 cases=63%) and 2024(128 cases=70.7%). Non-drug agents were implicated in 73.3% of mortalities in 2023 with aluminum phosphide (62case=33.2%) ranking first followed by zinc phosphide and organophosphorus compounds. Common clinical manifestations recorded among recorded in-hospital mortalities although study period included hypotension, shock, bradycardia and thready pulse, tachypnea, disturbed level of consciousness / coma, and metabolic acidosis. Conclusion: In-hospital poisoning- related mortalities in PCC-ASUH are recorded mainly among deliberate self-poisoning cases especially males, intoxicated through oral route by drugs as causative agents in 2022 and 2024 while non-drug agents especially aluminum phosphide were implicated in 2023. Recommendation: Further multicenter studies are required.