Journal of Medical Toxicology最新文献

Introduction: Nitazene compounds are high potency, synthetic opioids, recently detected in the United States illicit opioid supply. This is a scoping review to summarize the available body of literature on naloxone and hospitalization reports in response to nitazene compound overdose.

Methods: This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews. PubMed, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were accessed. Articles were limited to full-text peer-reviewed publications appearing in scholarly journals between January 2018 and December 2024. Total naloxone dose (in mg, primary outcome) and total length of stay (LOS, in hours, secondary outcome) were recorded.

Results: Of 109 articles screened, 103 were excluded (44 non-human; 35 no nitazene exposure, 9 no naloxone administered, 9 post-mortem data only, 3 non-overdose, 2 non-English, and 1 full text unavailable), leaving 6 articles included. Data were described on 19 distinct patients with nitazene compound overdose (meto-, isoto-, proto-, and eto-nitazene), all of whom had naloxone data, and 10 of whom had LOS data. Median total naloxone doses were the following: metonitazene 6.00mg; etonitazene 3.06mg; isotonitazene 3.00mg; protonitazene 1mg (p=0.4). Mean hospital LOS were the following: metonitazene 360 hours; etonitazene 122.25 hrs; isotonitazene 32.67 hrs; protonitazene 20 hrs.

Conclusion: This scoping review reveals a paucity of data on nitazene compound overdoses and identifies a gap in our current opioid crisis response. Most nitazene cases reviewed involved hospitalization, had high naloxone dosing, and relatively long LOS. Differences in naloxone dose and hospital LOS could underscore the unpredictable and potent nature of these substances.

Introduction: This study investigated the characteristics and trends of pediatric exposures to caffeine energy products reported to US poison centers METHODS: National Poison Data System data for caffeine energy product single-substance exposures during 2011-2023 among individuals < 20 years old were analyzed.

Results: There were 32,482 caffeine energy product exposures reported to US poison centers with a 17.3% exposure rate increase during 2011-2023. Most exposures were among < 6-year-olds (69.6%), males (56.7%), or involved liquid formulations (57.5%). Most (80.7%) were not treated in a healthcare facility; however, 1.6% were medically admitted. Teenagers 13-19 years old were more likely to be medically admitted (OR = 12.74, 95% CI: 10.40-15.60) or have a serious medical outcome (OR = 18.83, 95% CI: 16.88-21.01) than children < 13 years old. Solid energy product formulations were more likely to be associated with a serious medical outcome (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.81-2.17) or medical admission (OR = 5.23, 95% CI: 4.31-6.36) than other types of formulations. During the study period, exposure rates increased for liquid (34.5%) and powder/granules (632.9%) product formulations but decreased for solids (-51.5%). Among liquid formulation subcategories, the exposure rate for beverages increased (46.5%) and that for shots decreased (-86.1%).

Conclusions: Although most pediatric exposures to caffeine energy products reported to US poison centers were associated with no or minimal clinical effects, serious medical outcomes and medical admissions occurred. The product formulations that drove the 17% increase in the exposure rate changed during the study period. Opportunities exist to reduce the adverse effects of caffeine energy products among the pediatric population.

Background: Octreotide is commonly used to treat hypoglycemia due to sulfonylurea toxicity, but optimal dosing for this indication is not well defined.

Methods: We performed a systematic review to identify cases in the medical literature of octreotide use for sulfonylurea poisoning. Literature published on octreotide and sulfonylureas between octreotide's FDA approval on 10/21/1988 and 8/15/2024 was reviewed.

Results: Eighty unique patient cases (66 adults/adolescents and 14 pediatric patients) from 61 sources were included in the final analysis. These included 41 octreotide dosing strategies that differed in dose, frequency, and/or route of administration. Subcutaneous dosing, primarily within the range of 50-100 mcg per dose at a frequency of every 6-8 h, was the most common regimen in adults while intravenous dosing of 1 mcg/kg was most prevalent in pediatrics. There were no significant differences in duration of therapy or total dose of octreotide in adults with intermittent subcutaneous vs intravenous dosing. Treatment of hypoglycemia and maintenance of euglycemia was similar among all routes of administration. Infusions had similar durations but higher total doses of octreotide. Higher intermittent bolus doses were associated with shorter durations of therapy. Intentional exposures were associated with higher doses and longer duration of treatment with octreotide. Three adverse reactions to octreotide were reported. Except for 2 cases, all patients survived without any long-term complications.

Conclusion: Despite widespread variation in octreotide dosing and administration, our report showed similar efficacy and safety with various octreotide dosing practices.

The 2024 ACMT Ward and Ryan Donovan Memorial Fund lecture was presented by Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This article in an edited version of her keynote address during ACMT's 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting. During the course of her talk, Dr. Volkow discussed the historical factors contributing to the ongoing global opioid epidemic, examined the evidence behind different front-line and policy strategies used to battle the opioid epidemic, and highlighted the importance of recent cultural changes that support more deliberate screening for substance use disorders and pathways for initiating treatment of opioid use disorders in vulnerable populations. An urgent need exists to improve inclusion of social and structural determinants of health in implementation science addressing opioid use disorders, with better attention to special populations, including Native American Indians and Alaskan Natives, African Americans, those over 65 years of age, and teenagers.