A person who ingests aluminum phosphide in a suicide attempt is at high risk for death. Pannu et al reported a simple score to identify a patient who requires more aggressive management. The authors are from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education in Chandigarh, India.
Patient selection: ingestion of aluminum phosphide
Parameters:
(1) arterial pH (P)
(2) Glasgow coma scale (G)
(3) systolic blood pressure (I for impaired = low)
Parameter
Finding
Points
arterial pH
< 7.25
1
>= 7.25
0
Glasgow coma scale
14 or 15
0
3 to 13
1
systolic blood pressure
< 87 mm Hg
1
>= 87 mm Hg
1
total score =
= SUM(points for all 3 parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 3
• The higher the score the greater the risk of mortality.
• A score >= 2 has a Youden index of 0.71 (sensitivity 0.94 and specificity 0.77).
• A patient with a score of 3 has a high risk of death.
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