BackgroundThis study investigates the impact of diquat toxicity levels on in-hospital mortality rates among patients with acute diquat poisoning. It aims to clarify the relationship between diquat toxicity scores and the likelihood of death during hospitalization.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted on 98 individuals with acute diquat poisoning. Data on post-ingestion time, initial diquat plasma concentration, and clinical outcomes were systematically collected for all participants. The toxicity-index of diquat was calculated based on post-ingestion time and initial diquat plasma concentration. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to assess the association between toxicity-index of diquat and in-hospital mortality rates, adjusting for potential confounding variables such as age, comorbidities, and treatment interventions.ResultsThe study found that the overall prevalence of in-hospital mortality was 34.7%, with 58.2% in males. The multivariable-adjusted regression coefficient for in-hospital mortality associated with the toxicity-index was 1.09, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.01-1.17. Subsequent exploratory subgroup analysis indicated that there were no significant interactions (all P values for interaction were >0.05).ConclusionsThe study found that higher diquat toxicity-index values correlate with increased in-hospital mortality in acute diquat poisoning cases, indicating that the toxicity-index could be a useful biomarker for assessing mortality risk.