Fentanyl-contaminated cocaine outbreak with laboratory confirmation in New York City in 2019

Illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogues (IMFs) are being increasingly suspected in overdose deaths. However, few prior outbreaks have been reported thus far of patients with laboratory-confirmed IMF toxicity after reporting intent to use only nonopioid substances. Herein we report a case series of nine patients without opioid use disorder who presented to two urban emergency departments (EDs) with opioid toxicity after insufflating a substance they believed to be cocaine.

Source: The American Journal of Emergency Medicine - December 7, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Philip DiSalvo, Gail Cooper, Jessica Tsao, Michelle Romeo, Larissa K. Laskowski, Gregg Chesney, Mark K. Su Source Type: research