The Open Critical Care Medicine Journal

2008, 1 : 12-16
Published online 2008 April 29. DOI: 10.2174/1874828700801010012
Publisher ID: TOCCMJ-1-12

Risk Factors Associated with Prolonged Hospital Stay in Admitted Patients with Psychotropic Drug Overdose

Toshikazu Abe , Yasuharu Tokuda , Gerald H. Stein , Stein Ishimatsu and Richard B. Birrer
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, St. Luke’s International Hospital, 9-1 Akashicho, Chuo-city, Tokyo, 104-8560, Japan.

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To determine risk factors associated with their length of hospital stay in admitted patients with psychotropic drug overdose.

Methods:

Demographics, data of physical and laboratory, and hospital stay were analyzed using a linear regression and a recursive partitioning analysis to determine significant risk factors for prolonged hospitalization.

Results:

In 140 patients (mean age, 35 yr; 78% women) with psychotropic drug overdose, the median hospital stay was 2.9 days (range, 1-17) and all were discharged alive. Significant factors for prolonged hospital stay were older age (p<0.0001), increased heart rate (p = 0.029), lower blood pressure (p<0.0001), lower Glasgow coma scale (p = 0.015), and increased blood leukocyte (p = 0.005). The recursive partitioning showed that blood leukocyte of 12,900/mm3 was the cutoff of the most important variable for hospital stay of 3 days or greater.

Conclusions:

Elevated blood leukocyte is the most important predictor for prolonged hospitalization in admitted patients with psychotropic drug overdose.

Keywords:

Drug overdose, benzodiazepines, length of stay.