[Epidemiology of intoxications in Chile: ten years of registry]. / Epidemiología de las intoxicaciones en Chile: una década de registros.

BACKGROUND: The existence of Poison Centers for management and prevention of intoxications has been endorsed by the international experience. In Chile, the Toxicological Information Center at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile has been active since 1992, receiving about 130,000 calls until 2002. AIM: To analyze the statistical data gathered throughout the first ten years of our Research Center. To delineate the epidemiological pattern of intoxications in Chile. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective study in which records from calls for toxicological information received during the 1992-2002 period reviewed. Analyzed data were total calls per year, place of call, exposure circumstances, age, sex, route of exposure and involved agents. RESULTS: 96,468 calls analyzed. The main exposure circumstance was "unintentional" (78.6%), followed by "intentional" (16.9%). Intoxications in children under 5 years old motivated 50% of calls. According to route of exposure, ingestions involved 75,992 calls (78.8%). Medications were the most common substances, accounting for 49.2% of calls, followed by cleaning products (12.1%), pesticides (11.3%), industrial and chemical products (10.5%) and cosmetics (2.7%). Medications acting on the CNS were the most recurrent, with 19,096 reports. CONCLUSIONS: The epidemiological pattern for intoxications in Chile is very similar to that reported in developed and other Latin American countries. Children under 5 years old, are a high risk group for intoxications. It is imperative to improve the recording and follow-up of patients that call to the Center, to improve epidemiological data of intoxications in Chile.

Analysis of 156 cases of plant intoxication received in the Toxicologic Information Center at Catholic University of Chile.

We present a retrospective analysis of plant and mushroom ingestions reported to the Toxicologic Information Center at the Catholic University of Chile. All the phone calls of plant and mushroom intoxications received from January 1998 through June 2000, were classified according to agent, clinical presentation, affected age group, origin of the phone call, and time from exposure to the toxic agent. Of 36,580 consultations received, 156 were intoxications with plants or mushrooms, and 53.9% of them affected children < 6years. Most patients were symptomatic at consultation, with digestive, neurologic, anticholinergic or cutaneous effects. The most frequent accidental ingestions were of elephant's ear (Colocasia sp) by children, causing digestive symptoms, and by intentional ingestions of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) by adolescents, causing anticholinergic symptoms; 5 cases of Amanitaphalloides wer ereported with 3 fatal due to fulminant hepatic damage. Plant and mushroom intoxications are an uncommon event, but can seriously compromise those that ingest them. Despite its low incidence, public and medical community education is essential to prevent and manage these intoxications efficiently.

Intoxicación por mercurio / Mercury intoxicación

Son muy frecuentes las llamadas al Centro de Información Toxicológica de la Universidad Católica a causa de ingesta de mercurio de termómetros por niños. A continuación se resumirán los aspectos más importantes a considerar para realizar un adecuado manejo ante la exposición de los distintos tipos de mercurio: mercurio elemental; mercurio inorgánico y mercurio orgánico

Estudio descriptivo de los episodios de fuga en el Hospital Psiquiátrico de Santiago / Descriptive study of the patients elopements in the Psychiatric Hospital in Santiago de Chile

Las fugas de pacientes desde Hospitales psiquiátricos son un hecho frecuente, y en la literatura se las ha vinculado a factores de la patología del paciente, conflictos con la familia, conflictos en las unidades de hospitalizción y dificultades en la relación terapeuta-paciente. Se presentan datos de 44 pacientes que realizan 61 fugas en un período de dos meses, y los resultados muestran que se trata de enfermos esquizofrénicos, jóvenes, con múltiples intentos previos de fuga. Se analizan factores desencadenantes, características de las fugas y las consecuencias de éstas, comparándolas con lo publicado en otros estudios. Se concluye que es un problema cuya alta incidencia obliga a incorporarlo activamente en el trabajo de los equipos de Sectores de Agudos del Hospital