Outcome of acute heroin overdose requiring intensive care unit admission

Journal of Opioid Management
Leonidas GrigorakosDimitris Veldekis

Abstract

Heroin use carries a large burden of morbidity and mortality. Heroin overdose and in particular events that need intensive care unit (ICU) admission have not been widely examined. The aim of this study was to describe the causes of ICU admission and the outcome of patients with a heroin overdose. A retrospective chart review of all patients with a heroin overdose admitted to the ICU between 1987 and 2006 was conducted. Forty-two records were available for review. The average age of the patients was 28 years. In the field, 19 persons were found in coma Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS < 8) and respiratory depression and were treated with naloxone. The reasons for ICU admission included hypoxemia in 37 (88 percent), 28 of whom had acute lung injury (ALI) and nine aspiration pneumonia, shock in three (7.2 percent) and persistent mental compromise in two patients (4.8 percent). Intubation and mechanical ventilation (MV) were instituted in 37 patients. In 19 of the 37 patients, weaning and extubation became possible within the first 24 hours. Sixteen patients suffered complications and received MV for 5 +/- 2 days, with a mean length of ICU stay of 8 +/- 1 days, while two patients succumbed because of anoxemic encephalopathy and brain death....Continue Reading

Citations

Oct 23, 2013·Chemico-biological Interactions·Bruno Mégarbane, Lucie Chevillard
Aug 3, 2016·Journal of Critical Care·Gregory J PfisterRodrigo Cavallazzi
Oct 20, 2017·Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives·Jose OrsiniElie Jean
Sep 28, 2017·American Journal of Therapeutics·Rukma ParthviArunabh Talwar
May 21, 2019·Experimental and Clinical Transplantation : Official Journal of the Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation·Meysam MojtabaeeFarahnaz Sadegh-Beigee
Jul 25, 2019·Journal of Neurotrauma·Rachel Sayko AdamsKristen Dams-O'Connor
Jun 20, 2020·Respiratory Medicine Case Reports·Keerthi YarlagaddaVinod Kumar Nookala
Jul 28, 2021·Critical Care Medicine·Mohammad AlrawashdehUNKNOWN CDC Prevention Epicenters Program

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Brain Injury & Trauma

brain injury after impact to the head is due to both immediate mechanical effects and delayed responses of neural tissues.