A clinico-epidemiological study of organophosphorus poisoning at a rural-based teaching hospital in eastern Nepal

Thirty-seven patients with severe organophosphorus poisoning (OPP) presente d to the emergency ward of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences between January 1995 and December 1996. The mean age of patients was 26.9 years. Th ere were 17 (46%) males and 20 (54%) females, with male:female ratio being 1:1.2. Twenty-three (62%) patients were unmarried with 16 (46%) of them stu dents. The most common reason for poisoning was suicide - 32 patients (86.5 %). The most commonly involved compound was Metacid (methyl-parathion)- 23 (62%) patients. Ninety per cent of the patients presented within 2 h of ing estion. All patients were managed with intravenous atropine. Pralidoxime wa s given to patients with nicotinic symptoms and mechanical ventilation init iated in patients with respiratory distress. The mean dose of atropine used in the first 24 h and during the hospital stay was 30.6 mg and 136.7 mg, r espectively. The mean duration of treatment was 5.5 days (range 2-20 days). Two patients developed intermediate syndrome and the overall mortality amo ng hospitalized patients was 8%.