Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology (대한임상독성학회지)

Korean society of Clincal Toxicology (대한임상독성학회)
권호 표지

Comparison between Emergency Patient Poisoning Cases and the Tox-Info System Database

Tox-Info 시스템의 중독정보 데이터베이스와 응급실에 내원하는 중독 환자 분포의 비교

  • Kim, Hyun-Jong (Department of Emergency Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Yang-Weon (Department of Emergency Medicine, Inje University College of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Hyun (Department of Emergency Medicine, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University) ;
  • Park, Chang-Bae (Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University) ;
  • So, Byung-Hak (Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea) ;
  • Lee, Kyeong-Ryong (Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Konkuk University) ;
  • Lee, Kyung-Woo (Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University) ;
  • Lee, Kyung-Won (Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Daegu) ;
  • Lee, Sung-Woo (Department of Emergency Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Jang-Young (Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, Eulji University) ;
  • Cho, Gyu-Chong (Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, Hallym University) ;
  • Cho, Jun-Ho (Department of Emergency Medicine, Inje University, Haeundae Paik Hospital) ;
  • Chung, Sung-Phil (Department of Emergency Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine)
  • 김현종 (연세대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실) ;
  • 김양원 (인제대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실) ;
  • 김현 (연세대학교 원주의과대학 응급의학교실) ;
  • 박창배 (서울대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실) ;
  • 소병학 (가톨릭대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실) ;
  • 이경룡 (건국대학교 의학전문대학원 응급의학교실) ;
  • 이경우 (경상대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실) ;
  • 이경원 (대구가톨릭대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실) ;
  • 이성우 (고려대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실) ;
  • 이장영 (을지대학교 의학과 응급의학교실) ;
  • 조규종 (한림대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실) ;
  • 조준호 (인제의대 해운대백병원 응급의학과) ;
  • 정성필 (연세대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실)
  • Received : 2012.03.27
  • Accepted : 2012.04.24
  • Published : 2012.06.16
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Abstract

Purpose: The Tox-Info system is a poisonous substance information database developed by the Korean National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation. The aim of this study was to estimate the coverage effectiveness of the Tox-Info system by comparing the toxic substances included in the database with the distribution of the toxic substances implicated in the cases of intoxicated patients presenting to emergency departments. The secondary aim of the study was to propose any additional substances that should be added to the database. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients suffering with toxic exposure who had visited any of 12 selected emergency departments in Korea from January 2010 to December 2011. The identified toxic substances were classified into groups including prescription drugs, agricultural chemicals, household products, animals or plants, herbal drugs, and others. We calculated the coverage rate of the Tox-Info database relative to the number of intoxication cases and the type of toxic substances involved. Results: A total of 5,840 intoxicated patient records were collected. Their mean age was $46.6{\pm}20.5$ years and 56.2% were female. Of the total intoxication cases, 87.8% of the identified toxic substances were included in the Tox-Info database, while only 41.6% of all of the types of identified toxic substances were included. Broken down by category, 122 prescription drugs, 15 agricultural chemicals, 12 household products, 14 animals or plants and 2 herbal drugs involved in poisoning cases were not included in the Tox-info database. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the clinical usefulness of the Tox-Info system. While 87.8% of the substances involved in the cases were included in the Tox-Info database, the database should be continuously updated in order to include even the most uncommon toxic substances.

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