@article{ref1,
title="Acute poisoning in the elderly",
journal="European Journal of Geriatrics",
year="2000",
author="Durakovic, Z.",
volume="2",
number="3",
pages="135-139",
abstract="In the Department of Internal Medicine, Rebro University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia, during a five-year period, we treated 0.2% of poisoned patients 65 years of age or above and 0.6% under 65 years of age. In our Intensive Care Unit during eleven years, 2.41% of all patients were treated because of poisoning, 23.7% of them were 65 years of age or above and 76.6% below the age of 65. In this report we present 4 cases of acute poisoning in the elderly. All of them were admitted in a comatous state (degree IV) and were treated successfully. The first patient aged 68 years had attempted to commit suicide by taking 4 mg of medigoxin and 400 IU of Lente insulin and many other drugs and was treated with symptomatic measures; the second aged 80 years had attempted suicide by taking a 40-year-old ampoule containing 500 mg of morphine. This patient was treated with naloxone iv. The third patient aged 80 years attempted to commit suicide by taking 1 dl of 2,4-D and was treated with haemodialysis and haemoperfusion methods; the fourth aged 68 years attempted suicide by drinking 1.5 l of cognac and was treated with hemodialysis. <br><br>CONCLUSION: There is no age limit for the use of any of the therapeutic procedures in the treatment of acute poisoning in the elderly.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1439-1147",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}