Poisoning is not uncommon in Hong Kong. According to the Annual Report 2017 published by Hong Kong Poison Information Centre (HKPIC), there were around 4,000 cases of poisoning recorded yearly between 2013 and 2017. While the majority of the cases had uneventful recovery, some poisoning could cause major clinical outcomes or even death. Supportive treatment, decontamination and antidote use are important treatment options for poisoning.
Antidote is a substance that is administered specifically to counteract the toxic effects of a poison. Its use can be life-saving, but only if it is available and administered timely. Some antidotes with low frequency of use are unregistered products and may not be readily available in Hong Kong. To be prepared for the need of antidote use in emergency situations, Hospital Authority (HA) has set up a 3-Level Antidotes Mechanism to maintain adequate stock of different types of antidotes at acute hospital, cluster and central levels respectively in a cost-effective manner. The HA Central Committee of Toxicology Services (CCTox) plays an important role in recommending the list of antidotes of each level and the stock level to be kept. The antidote list is reviewed regularly and updated based on the trend and frequency of poison exposures as reflected by the latest toxicovigilance data.
In view of the importance to ensure availability and accessibility of antidotes for timely treatment of poisoning patients, the CCTox has taken initiative to enhance the management of antidotes at hospital level on top of the 3-Level Antidotes Mechanism. In the presentation, the review and actions taken to improve the availability and accessibility of antidotes will be discussed.
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