Departments of Pharmacology and Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sewagram, Wardha, Maharashtra-442102
Poisoning constitutes an important entity among the seriously ill cases admitted in every hospital. This paper deals with the study of different types of poisoning cases admitted to the Kasturba Hospital of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sewagram in Maharastra State.
Body fluid samples such as blood and gastric aspirate from victims of poisoning admitted to Kasturba Hospital were analyzed in the Clinical Toxicology Laboratory of the Department of Forensic Medicine. The total number of cases analyzed from the inception of the toxicology laboratory, i.e., Jan 1997, right up to Sept 2005 was 1784.
The different types of poisons were classified according to their group, brand name, chemical name, and the pattern of poisoning was studied as per the patient parameters such as age, sex, and area [rural/urban].
Analysis of poisons was done in the Toxicology Laboratory by chemical methods, high performance liquid chromatography [HPLC], and spectrophotometry. Out of the total poisons detected in this study, the commonest group detected was pesticides, followed by volatile agents and pharmaceutical drugs.
