Laboratory findings in emergently medicated psychiatry patients☆
Received 18 December 2003; accepted 29 June 2004.
Abstract
Objective
To determine routine laboratory differences between patients with severe psychomotor agitation who require emergency intramuscular (IM-medicated patients) medication and those who do not (non–IM-medicated patients).
Method
A retrospective chart review of patients 18 years or older who went to a psychiatry emergency service over a 30-day period was performed. Demographic and laboratory variables were compared between IM- and non–IM-medicated patients.
Results
Emergently medicated patients (n=35) were older than non–IM-medicated patients (n=179) (42.6 vs 34.3 years, P<.001). Patients receiving emergency IM medications had higher leukocyte (WBC) count (P=.04), blood urea nitrogen (P=.001), creatinine (P=.01), glucose (P=.009), aspartate aminotransferase (P<.001), alanine aminotransferase (P=.01), and electrocardiogram QTc interval (P=.03). They were also more likely to have abnormal levels of potassium (P<.05), glucose (P<.05), aspartate aminotransferase (P<.001), and alanine aminotransferase (P<.05).
Conclusions
Emergently medicated patients in this psychiatry emergency service were more likely to be older and more likely to have abnormal laboratories vs other adult patients.
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
ABSTRACT