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Background: The regional poison information center is a potential sentinel for substance abuse patterns. Its central data collection system allows it to access information from large population groups. We report results from a one year prospective cases series of inhalation abuse from two regional poison information centers. Design: Prospective case series. All inhalation exposures reported to two regional poison information centers with a reason of intentional abuse were included. Results: One hundred sixty-five cases were collected. One hundred twenty-four exposures (75%) were male. Age ranged from 4 to 45 y, with a mean, median and mode of 16.6 (SD 7.3), 15 and 13, respectively. Nine children were ([is less than] 6)years old. There were 22 substances involved, but two substances (spray paint and gasoline) accounted for more than 61% of all cases. In children ([is less than] 9) y (n= 18, 11%) gasoline alone accounted for 83% of exposures. Abuse occurred statewide, in both urban and rural settings, but tended to occur more often in rural environments (75%). Abuse was reported throughout the day with a peak incidence at 8 pm. One hundred twenty-three patients received direct medical evaluation or care. There was one fatality in this series and 15 patients were described as having life threatening symptoms. Conclusions: Inhalation abuse may begin very early in childhood and abuse appears to peak in adolescence. The regional poison information center can act as a sentinel for abuse patterns. This information can assist health care providers in poison and abuse prevention efforts., INTRODUCTION Abuse of inhalants is a persistent world-wide problem crossing cultural and geographic borders.[1-6] The problem has been documented continuously over the last four decades. The term Glue Sniffer had [...]

We retrospectively evaluated the effect of the Loma Prieta earthquake on calls to 2 designated regional poison control centers (San Francisco and Santa Clara) in the area. In the immediate [...]

Background: the morbidity associated with snakebite envenomation has not been well documented. Method: Using a standard questionnaire all patients with snakebite reported to a regional poison center during the year 2001 were followed after hospital discharge by telephone until resolution of symptoms. Results: 128 snakebite cases were reported, of which 16 (12.5%) were lost to follow-up and 31 (24.2%) reported no progression of symptoms beyond puncture and were deemed 'dry bites.' Eighty-one (63.3%) patients were followed for the duration of symptoms. The snakes were identified as Copperhead (n = 57), unidentified venomous (n = 17), Timber rattlesnake (n = 6) and Cottonmouth (n = 1). All patients were evaluated in a HCF of which 51 were admitted. Nine patients received antivenin. Age ranged from 1 to 86 years with a mean of 32 years. There were 64 males (79%). Of the 37 patients who had a job, 33 lost a mean of 14 days of work (range 1-105 days, SD [+ or -] 18.1). Duration of edema was reported as 1 to 55 days, with a mean of 11.4 (SD [+ or -] 12). Persistent intermittent edema frequently occurred with limb activity. Pain was scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with a mean score of 4.8 (SD [+ or -] 2.7). Duration of pain was reported as 1 to 24 days with a mean of 7.8 days (SD [+ or -] 6.4). 30 patients required accommodation for ambulation including crutches (n = 11), limp (n = 11) and no shoes or loose shoes (n = 14). Of the 26 patients bitten on the hand or finger, duration of reduced function persisted from 2 to 38 days with a mean of 14.3 days (SD [+ or -] 10.4) and reduction of hand strength persisted for 4 to 105 days with a mean of 22 days (SD [+ or -] 25.5). Five patients had poorly healing ulcers at the bite site which persisted from 14 to 77 days with a mean of 45 days (SD [+ or -] 22.8) Conclusions: In this study snakebite resulted in significant duration and extent of morbidity., Spiller HA, Bosse GM. Kentucky Regional Poison Center, Louisville, KY [...]

Background: The Internet has become an increasingly popular source for health-related information. Websites have gained popularity with poison centers seeking low cost, effective methods to disseminate information. Like other health education tools, websites should be evaluated to assess their effectiveness at delivering appropriate information and their ability to attract repeat visitors. A Regional Poison Center (RPC) implemented an on-line survey to assess visitor satisfaction. Methods: A RPC conducted an on-line survey between 1/1/01 and 9/30/01. The 22-item survey was designed to assess demographics, satisfaction with content, organization, graphics, and ease of navigation. Results: A total of 39,479 visitors viewed the RPC's website. 104 (0.26%) visitors took the on-line survey accessible from the site's home page. Respondents indicated they visited the site to find general poisoning information (55%); first-aid information (12%); and to order materials (9%). 39% of the respondents indicated they did not find what they were looking for. The majority of those surveyed said the site was informative (69%) and the information was easy to read and understand (76%). More than half found the information to be credible (69%), well organized (68%) and easy to find (60%). Overall, 59% of the respondents were satisfied with the site, but only 35% stated they would return or recommend the site to others. Conclusions: Websites should be evaluated to assure that they attract visitors and the information they provide is appropriate. The information gathered in this survey will be used to improve and maintain the quality of the RPC's website., Dodge S, Cucchi P. Georgia Poison Center, Atlanta, [...]