Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology
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Comparative Study
Emergency Department Opioid Prescribing Practices for Chronic Pain: a 3-Year Analysis.
Chronic pain is a common reason for emergency department (ED) visits. Our objective was to describe opioid prescribing practices of ED providers when treating patients with chronic pain. We retrospectively evaluated opioid prescriptions from EDs at two tertiary care military hospitals. ⋯ Providers prescribed a median of 20 pills per prescription and most commonly prescribed oxycodone. PAs were more likely to prescribe an opioid for chronic pain than physicians. Civilian providers were more likely to prescribe an opioid than active duty providers.
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Acute poisonings during pregnancy pose a particular challenge to health care providers because of the potential for an immediate life threat or possible life-long implications for both the mother and fetus, including teratogenicity of the poison or its antidote. We describe recent consequential exposures among pregnant women in the USA. We identified all poisoning cases involving pregnant women that were catalogued by the medical toxicology services across the 37 sites of the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) Registry of the American College of Medical Toxicology between January 2010 and December 2012. ⋯ The most commonly administered antidotes were N-acetylcysteine (23 %), sodium bicarbonate (10 %), flumazenil (4 %), and physostigmine (4 %). About half of acute poisoning cases among pregnant women presenting for emergency care involved intentional exposures, mostly with over-the-counter analgesics and psychoactive medications. Clinicians should be cognizant of the unique circumstances, maternal and fetal risks, and management principles of the acutely poisoned pregnant woman.
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The NBOMes (N-benzyl-oxy-methyl derivatives of known 2C phenylethylamines) are a new and growing class of potent synthetic stimulants. Case reports provide the bulk of available safety and clinical data for clinicians. We report two cases of NBOMe intoxication with 25C-NBOMe (the first lab-confirmed US case) and 25B-NBOMe, respectively, both confirmed via triple quadrapole mass spectrometry. ⋯ NBOMes are amphetamine derivatives and highly potent 5-HT(2A) receptor agonists. Clinical manifestations are a product of enhanced central sympathetic and serotonergic tone. We report two cases of NBOMe intoxication in patients who believed they used 25I-NBOME, while lab confirmation proved otherwise. Whether unique clinical manifestations are specific to the NBOMe variant, dose, route of administration, or other factors is unknown. Laboratory confirmation may play a role in identifying unexpected NBOMe variants, while contributing to the epidemiologic data on these novel substances.