Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on pediatric poisoning in a single emergency department in Korea

Abstract

Purpose : This study was performed to investigate the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic-related changes in epidemiological features of pediatric patients with poisoning who visited a local emergency medical center in Incheon, Korea. Methods : We reviewed medical records of the patients (aged ≤ 18 years) who visited the emergency department (ED) from 2015 through 2022 and obtained discharge diagnoses containing “intoxication” or “poisoning,” excluding food allergy and game addiction. Time of visit was categorized as pre-pandemic (2015-2019) and pandemic (2020-2022) periods. They were investigated for age, age groups (children [0-9 years] vs. adolescents [10-18 years]), sex, visits during weekend or holiday, exposure-to-ED time, psychiatric history, intentionality, alcohol consumption, substances, therapeutic interventions, and outcomes. The outcomes included need for hospitalization and discharge against medical advice. Results : Among a total of 358 patients with poisoning, 162 (45.3%) visited during the pandemic period, and 220 (61.5%) were adolescents. Compared to the patients who visited during the pre-pandemic period, those who visited during the pandemic period showed significantly higher frequencies of girls (45.9% vs. 81.5%), age of 10-18 years (46.4% vs. 79.6%), intentionality (33.7% vs. 74.7%), alcohol consumption (4.1% vs. 11.7%), need for hospitalization (24.5% vs. 62.3%), and discharge against medical advice (3.1% vs. 25.9%). Conclusion : In the ED, pediatric poisoning became more intentional, female and adolescent-dominant, and severe in their outcomes during the pandemic.