Management of patients with suspected but unidentified poisoning in the emergency department: a joint Royal College of Emergency Medicine and National Poisons Information Service best practice guideline

The management of patients suspected, but not confirmed, as being poisoned is challenging. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine and National Poisons Information Service have produced this guidance to provide a generalised clinical approach to any poisoned patient in the emergency department. This guideline provides a clinical approach to support the initial assessment of a patient, identification of potential toxic agents and emergency management. A toxidromic approach is used, with emphasis on consideration of the toxicokinetics of potential poisons and how the patient’s clinical condition may change. It does not replace poison-specific guidance available from TOXBASE and the NPIS or a locally appropriate poisons centre.