Serbia National Poison Control Centre: organization and current activities.

Ministry of Health of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia established the National Poison Control Centre in 1995. However, that was only the formally solution since clinical, analytical and experimental services in toxicology had worked independently for at least 40 years. Besides the Headquarters, NPCC has currently 2 main units, the Clinic of Emergency and Clinical Toxicology and Pharmacology and the Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology.

[Acute poisoning with cardiovascular agents].

In order to determine the frequency, severity of poisoning, and the efficacy of the applied therapeutic measures, retrospective study of 391 patients treated for acute drug poisoning was performed during one-year period at the Clinic for Emergency and Clinical Toxicology and Pharmacology. In 49 (12.5%) patients cardiovascular agents were the cause of poisoning, most frequently beta-blockers and calcium antagonists (77.

Factors influencing the degree and outcome of acute beta-blockers poisoning.

Since severe and fatal poisoning with beta-blockers due only to beta-receptor blockade is unlikely, a prospective and partly retrospective analysis of 67 patients with beta-blockers poisoning was done in five-year period in order to determine the factors influencing the degree and outcome of acute poisoning. According to pharmacological properties of drugs, the patients were divided in groups: group I--50 patients with propranolol, group II-A--10 patients with atenolol and group II-B--7 patients with metoprolol poisoning. Electrocardiogram (ECG), 24-h ECG monitoring, toxicological screening (determination of beta-blockers in blood, urine and lavage by high performance liquid chromatography) and biochemical analysis were performed in all patients.

[Aspiration bronchopneumonia as a complication of acute poisoning with psychotropic drugs].

In the five year period, retrospectively and prospectively, the frequency, clinical, radiographic and bacteriological characteristics of the aspiration bronchopneumonia (ABPN) were followed in the acute poisoning by psychotropic drugs (PD). In 1769 patients with acute poisoning by PD, ABPN was determined in 44 (2.49%) patients, and most frequently in groups with polymedicamentous (5.

[Carbamazepine cardiotoxicity in acute poisoning].

Manifestations of cardiotoxicity in 9 patients with acute carabamazepine poisoning treated at the Clinic of Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology of the M.M.A.