Articles: opioid.
-
BMC emergency medicine · Sep 2018
Observational StudyEpidemiological and clinical profiles of acute poisoning in patients admitted to the intensive care unit in eastern Iran (2010 to 2017).
Acute poisoning is a common chief complaint leading to emergency department visits and hospital admissions in developing countries such as Iran. Data describing the epidemiology of different poisonings, characteristics of the clinical presentations, and the predictors of outcome are lacking. Such data can help develop more efficient preventative and management strategies to decrease morbidity and mortality related to these poisonings. This manuscript describes the epidemiology of acute poisoning among patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in Birjand, Iran. ⋯ Opioids and pesticides were the most common exposures. The mortality rate of the poisoned patients in the ICU was proportionately high. The mortality rate due to opioid poisoning is a major concern and the most significant cause death due to poisoning in the region. Further monitoring and characterization of acute poisoning in Birjand, Iran is needed. These data can help develop educational and preventative programs to reduce these exposures and improve management of exposures in the prehospital and hospital settings.
-
Prescription opioid diversion is a significant contributor to the opioid misuse epidemic. We examined the quantity of opioids consumed by emergency department (ED) discharged patients after treatment for an acute pain condition (musculoskeletal, fracture, renal colic, abdominal pain and other), and the percentage of unused opioids available for potential misuse. ⋯ Patients discharged from the ED with an acute pain condition consumed a median of fewer than 10 tablets of morphine 5 mg (or equivalent). ED physicians should consider prescribing a smaller quantity of opioids and asking the pharmacist to dispense them in portions to minimise unused opioids.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Sep 2018
Initial results of a drug checking pilot program to detect fentanyl adulteration in a Canadian setting.
Opioid overdose deaths in North America have been rising largely as a result of fentanyl adulteration in the illegal drug supply. Drug checking is an established harm reduction intervention in some European settings but has not been broadly implemented or evaluated in North America. We are evaluating a pilot program offering drug checking for people who use street drugs in Vancouver, British Columbia. ⋯ This pilot program has demonstrated the feasibility of drug checking for identifying individual drug samples containing unexpected or hazardous substances, including fentanyl. By identifying the range of adulterants and diluents and giving an estimate of their prevalence in different drug types, it has also provided information about the composition of the illicit drug supply in an urban North American setting.
-
Surgery for anorectal diseases is thought to cause significant pain postoperatively. There is little known regarding standardized opioid-prescribing trends and patient use following surgery for anorectal diseases. We aimed to evaluate and analyze opioid-prescribing trends and patient use for outpatient anorectal operations. ⋯ Most patients had adequate pain control after anorectal surgery with little to no use of opioids and that more than 80% of opioid pills prescribed were not consumed. We intend to standardize our prescribing opioid quantities for outpatient anorectal operations to reflect this reduced use.