Predictive Value of Triage Vital Signs and Conscious Level For Outcome Evaluation in Acutely Intoxicated Patients

Assaf, Assmaa; Abd El Kareem, Manal A.; Tawfik, Hany M.; Hasb Elnabi, Marwa

doi:10.21608/mjfmct.2014.47523

Predictive Value of Triage Vital Signs and Conscious Level For Outcome Evaluation in Acutely Intoxicated Patients

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Forensic Medicine & Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Egypt

² Poison Control Center, Ain Shams University Hospitals,Egypt

³ Department of Forensic Medicine & Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Egypt

10.21608/mjfmct.2014.47523

Abstract

Triage in Emergency departments requires emergency doctors to make rapid decisions based on their knowledge and experiences. Triage of patients is critical to patient safety, yet no clear information exists for the utility of initial vital signs in identifying critically ill poisoned patients. The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between triage vital signs and conscious level in predicting the outcome of acutely poisoned patients. The total number of patients was 321 patients admitted to Poison Control Center (PCC) of Ain Shams University Hospitals. Information was collected from the sheets and computerized data base of the patients including vital signs and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) on admission after obtaining the permission of the director of PCC and the regional ethics committee. The results were revised, coded and organized for statistical analysis. The study results revealed 265 (82.6%) survivors with no complications, 30 patients (9.4%) survived but developed complications and 26 (8%) patients died. The study also showed that 32% of patients had hyperthermia, 1.1% had hypothermia, 22.4% had tachycardia, 6.2% had bradycardia, 10.9% had hypotension, 4% had hypertension and 22.8% showed respiratory distress. Additionally, 69.4% of patients had GCS > 8, while 30.6% had GCS ≤ 8. The study showed statistically significant difference between uncomplicated, complicated and dead cases as regards heart rate, systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, skin discoloration (pallor or cyanosis) and GCS. It could be concluded that vital signs can serve as an easily measurable tool for outcome prediction in poisoning cases.

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