Pediatric overdose means deliberate or accidental intake of non-medically recommended medication, or the same in quantities more than recommended for a child of that particular age. In pediatric medicine, overdoses and poisoning represent a critical public health issue and frequently feature emergency admissions.
In 2018, more than 70,000 emergency-related unintentional poisoning pediatric cases were reported in the United States. In addition, for poison exposures reported per 100,000 people across all ages in a 2019 report by the National Capital Poison Center, children under six years of age account for almost half of poison exposures, with 37.4 poison exposures per 1000 children.
Overdose and poisoning occur due to accidental ingestion of medication, most commonly analgesics, antihistamines and sedatives, and other substances including cosmetics, household products, and other chemicals, while incidents with older adolescents generally involve pharmaceuticals controlled substances.
For treatment, the patient first sees a pediatric specialist in the emergency department. While examining the patient, they look for and address complications that require immediate attention, such as airway, breathing, circulation, and neurological impairments. Other critical signs include diminished consciousness, extreme hypotension, hyperthermia, and arrhythmias.