Table 3.
Management of patients in the emergency room, details related to injection atropine administration, intensive care unit-related details, associated complications, and the overall hospital outcome
| Emergency room management-related details | Frequency (%) |
|---|---|
| Decontamination | 60 (100.0) |
| Gastric lavage | 10 (16.7) |
| Activated charcoal | 4 (6.7) |
| Intubation and mechanical ventilation | 14 (23.3) |
| Supportive care (Intravenous fluids/antiemetics/proton-pump inhibitors, etc.) | 49 (81.7) |
| Inotropes | 0 (0.0) |
| Injection atropine-related details | Median (IQR#) |
| Initial atropinization dose (mg) | 10 (0, 61.5) |
| Total atropine dose (mg) | 116 (32, 320) |
| Duration of atropine infusion in days | 2 (2, 3) |
| Atropine delirium: n (%) | 22 (33.6) |
| Hospitalization details | Frequency (%) |
| Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) | 33 (55.0) |
| Intubation and mechanical ventilation either in another medical center, in the ER! or after admission (total) | 33 (55.0) |
| Duration of mechanical ventilation in days – median (IQR#) | 7.5 (3.75, 14.25) |
| Required tracheostomy for prolonged ventilatory support | 14 (23.3) |
| Intermediate syndrome (IMS) | 18 (30.0) |
| Duration of intermediate syndrome in days – median (IQR#) | 8.5 (5, 11.75) |
| Hospital outcome | Frequency (%) |
| The total duration of admission in the hospital – median (IQR#) | 6 (4, 13) |
| Discharged stable | 53 (88.3) |
| Discharged against medical advice | 4 (6.7) |
| Died in hospital | 3 (5.0) |
| Probable cause for death | Frequency (%) |
| Cholinergic crisis | 1 (1.66) |
| Ventilator-associated pneumonia | 1 (1.66) |
| Sepsis – bacteremia | 1 (1.66) |
ER!, emergency room; IQR#, interquartile range