Abstract 778

Background: Unintentional poisoning accounts for 3% of childhood deaths annually in Canada. 48% of calls to The Ontario Regional Poison Control Center involve children <five years of age (n=75 998). This is the first descriptive study of Canadian Poison Control Center pediatric data.

Purpose: To describe the demographics and circumstances of calls made to the Ontario Poison Control Center regarding children under the age of five years.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of every 15th call (June 1 1997 - May 31 1998). Inclusion criteria: call involved child <5 years. Exclusion criteria: none. 2241 charts were reviewed.

Results: The peak age was 2.1 years (standard deviation 1.2 years); there were no gender differences in frequency of accidental exposure. 67% of calls involved common household exposures (analgesics, antibiotics, vitamins, etc.). The most common circumstance surrounding ingestion (45%) was that the child was given the incorrect amount of medication by their caregiver (e.g. dosed twice). The majority of calls (>90%) were judged to be mildly toxic or non-toxic. Treatment advice was to stay home (82%) or visit the Emergency Room.

Discussion: A surprising number of calls were due to caregiver error in dosage. The economic impact of these accidental exposures for Poison Control Centers and Emergency Rooms is discussed. Methods to promote primary prevention are provided.