Pittsburgh Poison Center Services and Statistics U S

Pittsburgh Poison Center Services and Statistics

U. S. Poison Center Access Common Telephone Number: 1 -800 -222 -1222

PPC Mission Statement To promote the reduction of morbidity and mortality from poisonings through the dissemination of poison information and treatment advice, public and professional education and scientific research

PPC Services • AAPCC Certified Regional Center • (1) Managing Director + (1) Medical Director • (13) Specialists in Poison Information – Nationally certified – Nurses at PPC; other Centers have pharmacists • 24/7 service • Immediate access to toxicologists • Funded primarily by federal/state grants, industry clients

PPC Service Area PPC Service Region: 5. 9 million residents >30, 000 sq. miles

PPC: Types of Calls • • Exposures (human and animal) Information Treatment Recommendations Adverse Reactions 26% Exposure 74% Information

Who calls the PPC? • • General public Physicians Nurses Pharmacists Paramedics Veterinarians Urgent Care Centers • • • Police Fire Services Prison Officials Coroners Attorneys Industry Clients – PCC has (7) industry clients

Most Common Substances All Poisonings • • • Analgesics Cosmetics Cleaning Products Sedatives Foreign Bodies Cough/Cold Medications Topicals Pesticides Antidepressants Envenomation/Bites Pediatric Poisonings • • • Cosmetics Cleaning Products Analgesics Foreign Bodies Topicals Cough/Cold Medications Plants Pesticides Vitamins Antidepressants

Call Volume/Month CY 15 6000 4934 5000 4065 4994 4440 4396 4351 4312 3916 3868 3000 2000 1000 em be Oc r to No ber ve m be De r ce m be r t pt us Se Au g ly Ju ne Ju ay M ril Ap nu ar y Fe br ua ry M ar ch 0 Ja Calls 4000 4460 4491 4703

Calls/Hour CY 15 4000 3500 3000 Calls 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 000001000200030004000500060007000800090010001100120013001400150016001700180019002000210022002300 Hour of Day Human Exposures Other Calls

Age Distribution CY 15 Male Female Unknown 6000 5000 3000 2000 1000 -2 9 30 -3 9 40 -4 9 50 -5 9 60 -6 9 70 -7 9 80 -8 9 Un > 9 kn 0 ow n 9 20 13 -1 12 6 - 5 4 3 2 1 1 0 < Calls 4000 Age Category

PPC Facts: Call Volume CY 15 Exposures 39, 087 Information 13, 843 TOTAL EXP + INFO 52, 930 Follow-ups 34, 047 Drug ID 400 GRAND TOTAL 87, 377

PPC Facts: Overall Trends Busiest Month Overall: July (9. 44%) Busiest Month (Exposures): July (7. 08%) Busiest Month (Information): January (3. 07%) Busiest Day of the Week: Wednesday (15. 35%) Busiest Hour: 8 pm (6. 68%) 47. 8% of exposures occurred in children 5 years of age or younger 30% of exposures occurred in children between the ages of 1 and 2 PPC managed 2, 869 animal exposures PPC staff has an average of 14 years experience (1 -37 years)

Mr. Yuk Facts • Created in 1971 in Pittsburgh • Replaced the skull and crossbones symbol – Which was similar to the Pittsburgh Pirates logo • Use has evolved since created A symbol must be taught in order to be effective!

Public Health Events: OTC Literacy

Toxicosurveillance • AAPCC: National Poison Data System (NPDS) – Comprehensive Database – Collects Poison Center information from all U. S. Centers – Uploads every 8 minutes

Benefits of a Poison Center • Poison Centers save lives – Experts in toxicology available 24/7 – Identification of trends in poisonings – Distribute information to the general public and health care professionals • Poison Centers decrease healthcare costs – Almost all cases are treated from home – Nationally, save $1. 8 billion annually • $760 million from Medicare/Medicaid – In PA, save over $30 million annually