Laboratory findings in emergently medicated psychiatry patients

Schillerstrom, Tracy L.; Schillerstrom, Jason E.; Taylor, Sally E.

doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2004.06.004

« Previous Next »General Hospital Psychiatry
Volume 26, Issue 5 , Pages 411-414, September 2004

Laboratory findings in emergently medicated psychiatry patients☆

Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA

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.