JIST

Abstract

Background: Paraquat is a commonly used herbicide which is uniformly fatal when consumed. There is no antidote or proven treatment protocol and it is important to stratify patients into those that may benefit from treatment and those that will not. Patient estimates of quantity consumed might be unavailable and inaccurate. In this setting, it is important to use lab parameters to segregate patients. This study aims to identify the clinical and laboratory parameters associated with outcomes.

Methodology: This was a retrospective study involving patients admitted between January 2010 and December 2017 in a tertiary care hospital. Data on patients was collected from patient files and the hospital computerised records system and were correlated with survival. 

Results and discussion: 48 patients were included in the study. The mortality rate was 72.9%. The quantity of paraquat consumed, presence of vomiting, sonological abnormalities, leukocyte count, NLR, uric acid level, liver function parameters and Potassium levels were statistically significant outcome predictors. Lab parameters can be useful as supplementary predictors of outcome. Stratifying patients should be an important step of planning a treatment regimen.

Conclusion: Lab parameters can be used in this setting, to stratify patients. Further, our study showed that monitoring SOFA scores on a day to day basis can help assess response to therapy and prognosticate in patients with paraquat poisoning.