UNKNOWN POISONING IN EMERGENCY SETTINGS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

The issue of unknown poisoning is one of the greatest obstacles to public health especially in developing countries where the toxicological infrastructure is not well developed and slow diagnostics still hinder quick clinical identification and treatment. The current manuscript is a review of the unknown poisoning case in terms of its epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods and emergency management. Difficult diagnostic situations with mixed poisonings, no histories and late hospital admissions still permit the early recognition of toxidromes, rapid stabilization of airway-breathing-circulation (ABC), right decontamination measures, and general supportive care to form the basis of evidence-based management. Poison control centers must be established, standard protocols implemented, medicolegal documentation improved, and community-based prevention strategies adopted in order to greatly reduce morbidity and mortality. This paper has unified the existing evidence and has provided clinical guidance in the different care settings; primary, secondary, and tertiary.