A Review of Self-Poisoning Admissions in a Five-Bed Intensive Care Unit in Scotland

Introduction Deliberate self-poisoning is a common presentation to hospitals, with 13,268 presentations to Scottish hospitals in 2004 accounting for 1.11% of total admissions [1]. It accounts for up to 4% of ICU admissions, with the majority being under forty years old and predominantly male [2]. In a recent study of 481 patients, the average length of stay was 0.7 days, and hospital mortality was 4% (n = 20) [2].