Risk factors associated with mortality in patients with methanol poisoning: a retrospective study

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Abstract
Aim: Methanol poisoning (MP) is an significant medical problem worldwide, and despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, the mortality rate in these cases remains high. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and laboratory factors to determine in-hospital mortality in patients with MP.Methods: This single-center, retrospective, observational study was conducted with 65 adult MP cases visiting the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary training and research hospital, between January 01, 2017 and February 01, 2022. Data was statistically compared between survivors and non-survivors.Results: The in-hospital mortality rate was 41.5%. The rate of cases with respiratory distress, low Glasgow coma scale (GCS) (≤8), and delayed arrival to the hospital (>24 hours) was higher in the group of non-survivors compared to the group of survivors. Non-survivors had a higher anion gap (30.5 mEq/L vs. 25.5mEq/L), base excess (-25.0 mmol/L vs. -18.6 mmol/L), lactate (10.2 mmol/L vs. 2.2 mmol/L) levels, and lower pH (6.76 vs. 7.14) and bicarbonate (6.3 mmol/L vs. 10.3 mmol/L) levels than survivors (p<0.001). In ROC analysis, pH (AUC= 0.916) and base excess (AUC=0.915) were blood gas parameters with the highest AUC values in predicting mortality in MP cases. Folate use in the treatment had a statistically significant effect on mortality (P=0.015).Conclusion: In MP cases, delay in a hospital visit, severe metabolic acidosis, high lactate levels, low GCS on arrival to the ED and no folate therapy, were associated with increased in-hospital mortality rates. Our data will contribute to the clinical management of MP patients and the development of treatment protocols.
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  • YOK (Yok)

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