Determining hematological indices in patients admitted to a poisoning referral center: A 10-year cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: Poisoning is one of the most common methods of suicide in developing countries. We assessed the frequency of impaired hematological indices in patients with acute poisoning. Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional retrospective. Using the census sampling method, all patients who had attempted suicide by poisoning and were admitted from 2013 to 2023 were included in this study. Different variables, including age, gender, hematological index on admission, hospital stay, and outcome (mortality), were recorded in a data-gathering form. ANOVA and chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests were used for analysis. Results: This study was conducted on 48186 patients, 53.4 of whom were male. The average age of the patients was 34.92 (± 13.23). Of all patients, 6 had anemia, 15.1 leukocytosis, 15 higher than average hemoglobin, and 9.1 lower than average platelet count. White blood cell (WBC) count was higher (mean difference = 3741.85, SD = 151.35, 95 CI = 3445.21–4038.5) in deceased patients, while platelet count was significantly lower in deceased patients (mean difference = 17.19, SD = 2.57, 95 CI = 12.14–22.24) (P < 0.001). Anemia correlated with more extended hospital stay by an average of 1.61 days (SD = 0.27, 95 CI = 0.98–2.24) compared to patients with normal hemoglobin. Thrombocytopenia also correlated with more extended hospital stays by an average of 1.38 days (SD = 0.21, 95 CI = 0.88–1.89). Conclusion: The frequency of abnormal hematological indices was not high in patients with acute poisoning. Deceased patients had higher WBC and lower platelet counts compared to surviving patients. Patients with anemia and thrombocytopenia had more extended hospital stays. © 2023 The Author(s.