Evaluation of Hemodialysis and Hemoperfusion in Poisoned Patients

Abstract

Aim: The aim of our study was to evaluate the demographic data, type of toxic substance, Glasgow Coma scale (GCS), Poisoning Severity score (PSS) and the prognosis of the patients who were admitted to the emergency department (ED) with a preliminary diagnosis of acute intoxication and then underwent hemodialysis (HD) or hemoperfusion (HP), and to compare this data with other studies. Materials and Methods: The study retrospectively analyzed the files of 36 poisoned patients who were admitted to the ED and who underwent HD or HP by using the hospital electronic data system. Results: HD was administered to 27 patients (75.0%) and HP was administered to nine patients (25.0%). Among the patients treated with HD, five (18.5%) were poisoned by valproic acid, one (3.7%) by amlodipine, one (3.7%) by organic phosphorus, one (3.7%) by paracetamol, four (14.8%) by mushroom, two (7.4%) by ethyl alcohol/ethanol, three (11.2%) by lithium and ten (37.0%) by methyl alcohol/methanol. Among the patients treated with HP, one (11.1%) was poisoned by organic phosphorus, seven (77.8%) by amitriptyline, and one (11.1%) by phenytoin. The median GCS score was 10, and the median PSS was 3. The deceased patients had significantly lower GCS scores while their PSS was significantly higher. Eleven patients died, and 25 patients were discharged with full recovery. Conclusion: This is a multifaceted study that investigated poisoned patients treated with HD or HP and presented treatment modalities that are currently used, and we think they will be used more widely in the future.