EVALUATION OF GERIATRIC PATIENTS WITH SUICIDE ATTEMPTS ADMITTED TO THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OF A TEACHING HOSPITAL CENTER: A TEN-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW

Objective: With the increasing population of seniors in Turkey and rest of the world, the prevalence of suicidal tendencies and suicide attempts has also increased, thereby becoming a public health issue for older adults. The data regarding the clinical features and outcomes of suicide attempts in the Turkish geriatric population are lacking. This study aims to evaluate the cases of suicide attempt in geriatric patients treated in the intensive care unit(ICU). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of geriatric patients admitted to our ICU because of a suicide attempt. We evaluated the age, gender, methods of suicide attempt, Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS), treatments, duration of hospitalization, medical history, and the prognosis of patients admitted to ICU because of a suicide attempt between June 2007 and June 2017. Results: We examined 51 geriatric patients, who were admitted to the ICU. The median age of patients was 66.13?10.33(range, 67–76) years. A majority of geriatric patients attempted suicide by drugs, with tricyclic antidepressantsbeing the most common drug. The medianICU stay was 10.44?11.8days. The analysis of prognosis revealed that 33 patients were discharged after initial treatment and 18 patients were deceased. Conclusion: An increasing geriatric population is presenting an increase in the incidence rate of geriatric suicide attempts and their subsequent hospitalization in ICUs. While GCS score during admission is a predictor of poor outcome, suicidal attempts by geriatric people are leading to a significant mortality rate. Keywords: Intoxications, suicide, intensive care management, geriatrics