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Michael C. Gelfand, MD

JAMA. 1978;240(25):2761-2762.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Accidental or intentional drug or poison intoxication is a serious medical problem in the United States and Europe. Self-poisoning accounts for approximately 20% of all medical emergency admissions to hospitals in the United Kingdom. In the United States, there are about 2 million poisonings each year, with 400 deaths in children.

Out of this vast exposure, a number of guiding principles have emerged for the care of patients with drug overdose. One of these principles is that the overwhelming majority of these patients can be treated conservatively. Indeed, the overall mortality with such treatment has been reported to be less than 1%.¹ Nevertheless, mortality remains excessively high in patients who are deeply comatose (stage IV) on or after arrival at the hospital. In these patients the mortality is 34%, despite intensive care management.² Mortality also remains unacceptably high in patients severely intoxicated with digoxin.³ Elsewhere in this . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Georgetown University Hospital Washington, DC

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