The Effect of Naloxone on the Duration of Hospitalization Caused by Tramadol Poisoning: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

This study examined the effect of naloxone on the duration of hospitalization caused by tramadol poisoning.

The studied population included all patients with tramadol drug poisoning admitted to Kowsar Karaj Hospital in 2022. The sample size was 100 people. The research data were collected with the help of a questionnaire made by the researcher to collect demographic information and hospitalization information of the patients and were analyzed and studied statistically.

The average age of patients was 26.84 ± 6.801 years. 50% of the cases admitted to the study with suicidal intent were poisoned by tramadol. The average dose of naloxone prescribed for the patients was 0.552 ± 0.3855 mg. In the examination of the clinical manifestations of the patients, among the hospitalized patients, 8% were admitted with symptoms of seizures and 9% with symptoms of respiratory depression. The average duration of hospitalization of patients was 36.31 ± 16.991 hours. There was a significant relationship between the occurrence of respiratory depression and the dose of naloxone, and with the increase of the injection dose, the probability of occurrence of depression decreased. (P = 0.001). Concerning the length of hospitalization variable, the results showed that despite the significant difference in the dose of naloxone, higher doses required. They had a longer hospital stay (P = 0.001).

The duration of hospital stays, as well as the respiratory depression caused by tramadol poisoning, can be effectively minimized by using naloxone. Most of the poisonings were done in young people to commit suicide. It seems that it is necessary to inform them about the use of tramadol.