Abstract
OBJECTIVESAluminum phosphide (ALP), also known in Iran as rice tablets, is one of the most effective rodenticides used to protect stored grain. However, ALP poisoning regularly causes mortality in humans. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics and predictive factors of mortality from ALP poisoning.METHODSThis study evaluated all patients with ALP poisoning referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Kermanshah Province, Iran from 2014 to 2015. For each patient, the following information was recorded: age, sex, the number of tablets consumed, the number of suicide attempts, the time elapsed from consumption to treatment, blood pressure, blood pH, HCO3 levels, and PCO2 . Differences between the survivors and non-survivors of ALP poisoning were analyzed using univariate logistic regression and multivariate analysis.RESULTSIn this study, 48 patients were male and 29 patients were female (total: 77 patients). The average age of the survivors and non-survivors was 28.7 and 31.3 years, respectively. All cases (100%) of ALP poisoning were intentional, with the goal of committing suicide. The main predictive variables of mortality from ALP poisoning were blood pressure, blood pH, and time elapsed from consumption to treatment.CONCLUSIONSThe likelihood of mortality in patients with ALP poisoning can be predicted using blood pressure, blood pH, and time elapsed from consumption to treatment. These findings may help healthcare providers take more effective measures to treat patients with ALP poisoning.
Highlights
Poisoning is one of the main causes of disability and death thr oughout the world
The multivariate analysis showed that blood pressure, pH, and time elapsed from consumption to treatment were the most im portant predictive variables of mortality from Aluminum phosphide (ALP) poisoning
The combination of blood pres sure, blood pH, and time elapsed from consumption to treatment predicted almost 77.3% of mortality in cases of ALP poisoning (Table 3)
Summary
Poisoning is one of the main causes of disability and death thr oughout the world. Poisoning has been reported to account for 1.0-2.0 and 1.3% of deaths in developed countries and Iran, respec tively [1,2]. ALP is a common cause of acute poisoning and death in many developing countries, especially in Asia, and it usually has high fa tality rates (60-90%) [5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. This pesticide was first introduced in India, where roughly 15,000 accidental or intentional poisonings take place annually, with a reported mortality rate of roughly 67%. The median lethal dose of ALP for an adult weighing 70 kg is approxi mately 500 mg [16]
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