Is atropine alone sufficient in acute severe organophosphorus poisoning?: experience of a North West Indian Hospital.

Between January 1990 and December 1992, 18 patients with severe organophosphate poisoning (OPP) were admitted to our respiratory intensive care unit (RICU). Suicidal ingestion was the commonest cause of poisoning (15/18). The treatment comprised of atropine in bolus doses. 2-PAM in conventional dose and mechanical ventilation (MV) with positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) wherever indicated. The mean dose of atropine on day 1 was 178.9 mg (range 60-480 mg) and then gradually reduced. The mean duration of treatment with atropine was 9.6 days (range 1-24 days). We felt that aggressive atropinization and MV with PEEP is adequate and the role of 2-PAM given in 3 gm dose in 12 h is not clear. There is a need for controlled study to assess the efficacy of atropine and MV alone vs. atropine, 2-PAM in suggested doses and MV in severe OPP patients.