Treating “heroin” overdose: the past is no guide

1.5 out of 5 stars Do heroin overdose patients require observation after receiving naloxone? Tillman MW et al. Clin Toxicol 2016 Nov 16:1-7 [Epub ahead of print] Abstract The stated goal of this study was to search the medical literature in an attempt to answer 3 main questions: “What are the medical risks to a heroin user who refuses ambulance transfer after naloxone? “If the heroin user is treated in the emergency department after naloxone, how long must the be observed prior to discharge? “How effective in heroin users is naloxone administered by first responders and bystanders?” The authors searched Pubmed and Google Scholar for articles relevant to these questions, identifying literature going back to the 1990s. The paper does not report any stringent methods as to how relevant literature was selected, or how chosen papers were analyzed. Nevertheless, the authors concluded . . . Screw it. By the time I was halfway through the paper, I really didn’t care what the conclusions were. It was clear to me that there was no way that this type of literature review — even if it had much better methods — could provide clinically useful answers to the questions asked. The fact is, first responders and emergency practitioners never deal with “heroin overdose patients.” They treat patients who may have taken an opioid that could be heroin, to some substance they thought was heroin, or something that was given or sold to them purporte...
Source: The Poison Review - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: Medical antidote emergency department heroin naloxone narcan opiate opioid overdose pre-hospital treat-and-release Source Type: news