Acute Intoxications: Cases presenting to an adult emergency department.

Cases of acute substance intoxication presenting to the Emergency Department of the Ottawa General Hospital from 1986 to 1988 were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 1001 cases, 55% were female patients; the mean age was 34 years; 51% were admitted to hospital; 65% ingested more than one drug substance; and ethanol was involved in 27% of cases. There were 10 deaths.