Acute intoxication patients presenting to an emergency department in the Netherlands: admit or not? Prospective testing of two algorithms

Study objective After acute intoxication, most patients presenting to the emergency department (ED)—76% of them in the Netherlands—are admitted to hospital. Many will not need medical treatment on the ward. The authors tested two algorithms in the ED, based on vital parameters, ECG findings, and ingested substances, to identify patients who will receive treatment in hospital. Methods This prospective inception study enrolled patients aged 14 years and older presenting with acute intoxication between January 2006 and April 2008 to a Dutch university hospital. An algorithm was develop... Mehr ...