ACUTE METHANOL POISENING: PROGNOSTIC FACTORS AND ROLE OF GLASGOW COMA SCALE

Abstract

Introduction: acute methanol poisoning is one of the most important poisonings among people with low socio-economic classes who may consume illegal alcoholic beverages as it is cheap and available causing high morbidity and mortality specially in case of delayed diagnosis or treatment. This study aimed to characterize the risk factors related to mortality in patients presenting with suspected methanol poisoning and to detect the efficacy of using the GCS scoring system for prediction of mortality in these patients and identifying critically poisoned patients of high risk that need rapid and aggressive treatment. Subjects and Methods: a prospective observational study on 51 patients with acute methanol poisoning was reported at Ain-Shams poison control center-Egypt from April 2015 to April 2017. Patients were divided according to their outcome into two groups: livings and dead. Results: Hypotension, acute respiratory failure, pulmonary edema and CGS score were significantly associated with mortality. When assessing the risk factors significantly associated with mortality according to their priority; pH ≤ 6.79 was the most important parameter followed by GCS score ≤7 and pCO2 ≥31.88 mmHg. There was a negative correlation between pCO2 and pH in dead. The observed mortality was not significantly different from the predicted mortality determined by GCS scoring system. Conclusion: Hypotension, acute respiratory failure, pulmonary edema and CGS are robust markers of mortality along with pH ≤6.79, GCS score ≤7 and pCO2 ≥31.88 mmHg. GCS scoring system could be predictive for mortality in high risk patients.