Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that predict using mechanical ventilation for patients with organophosphate intoxication. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 111 patients with acute organophosphate intoxication and who were treated in our emergency center from January 2000 to December 2008. We compared the toxicologic characteristics, the laboratory findings and the APACHE II scores between the Mechanical Ventilation group (MV group) and the non-Mechanical Ventilation group (the non MV group). Results: Sixty three patients were in the MV group and 48 patients were in the non MV group. In the MV group, the patients had an older age (p<0.001), a larger amount of ingestion (p<0.001), a lower initial serum cholinesterase level (p=0.003), a higher APACHE II score (p<0.001) and they ingested a more toxic agent (p=0.001). There were no significant differences in gender, the type of visit and the arrival time between the MV group and the non MV group. Conclusion: We suggest that the patient's age, the amount of organophosphate ingestion, the toxicity of the agent, the initial serum cholinesterase level and the APACHE II score are important factors to determine if mechanical ventilation will be applied for patients with organophosphate intoxication.
Purpose: Dealing patients with organophosphate poisoning, cholinesterase level has been used as a diagnostic and prognostic value. But there are some controversies that the cholinesterase level is significantly related to the severity or prognosis of acute organophosphate poisoning. We evaluated the correlation between initial serum level of cholinesterase and APACHE II score as an index for severity, and we assessed cholinesterase levels for predicting value of weaning from mechanical ventilation. Method: From August 1996 to March 2003, 23 patients with organophosphate poisoning who needed ventilatory care were enrolled. Retrospective review was done for the serum level of cholinesterase, APACHE II score, and the duration of ventilatory care. The percentage of measured serum cholinesterase to median normal value was used to standardize cholinesterase levels from different laboratories. Result: There were tendencies that the lower initial serum of cholinesterase, the higher the APACHE II score (r=0.297) and the longer the duration of mechanical ventilation (r=-0.204), but they were not significant (p=0.264 and p=0.351 respectively). In 9 patients whose serum cholinesterase level were checked at the time of weaning, mean of measured cholinesterase level was $10.3pm7.60\%$ of normal value. Conclusion: There was no significant relationship between initial level of serum cholinesterase and severity or duration of mechanical ventilation. General health status of patient, amount of ingestion, toxicity of agent should be considered as important factors for severity of poisoning. And the decision of weaning should be based not solely on the cholinesterase level but on the consideration of general and respiratory state of individual patients.