I and accidental poisonings and substance abuse can result in the need for critical care support. In many cases, only supportive care is necessary until the effects of the toxin diminish. However, some poisonings require specific antidotes or interventions to decrease morbidity and mortality. General management principles of poisonings and substance abuse that are pertinent to intensive care ma...

BACKGROUND The cyclobenzaprine structure is similar to amitriptyline; however, tricyclic antidepressant (TCA)-like wide complex dysrhythmia has not been reported. Our objective was to determine the incidence of TCA-like effects in cyclobenzaprine overdoses as reported to 6 poison centers for 2 years. We compared the incidence of these effects to amitriptyline overdoses collected during the same...

BACKGROUND Opioid overdose is a leading cause of death among injection drug users. Over half of injection drug users report at least one nonfatal overdose during their lifetime. Death from opioid overdose rarely occurs instantaneously, but rather over the course of one to three hours, allowing ample time for providing life-saving measures. In response to the prevalence of overdoses in the U.S.,...

There is no doubt that equipments exposing radiation and used for therapeutic purposes should be often checked for possibly administering radiation overdoses to the patients. Technologists, radiation safety officers, radiologists, medical physicists, healthcare providers and administration should take proper care on this issue. "We must be beneficial and not harmful to the patients", according ...

INTRODUCTION From 2015 to 2016, opioid overdose deaths increased 27.7%, indicating a worsening of the opioid overdose epidemic and highlighting the importance of rapid data collection, analysis, and dissemination. METHODS Emergency department (ED) syndromic and hospital billing data on opioid-involved overdoses during July 2016-September 2017 were examined. Temporal trends in opioid overdoses...

Overview Prescription drug abuse, misuse and overdoses are on the rise. In 2010, drug overdoses killed 38,329 Americans, 16,651 of whom died from prescription opioid painkillers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone. These drugs also were responsible for 420,040 emergency room visits in 2011. Opioid painkiller deaths have increased in lockstep with prescription opioid prescribing, and th...

Drug overdoses in general are increasing and overdoses of cardiac medications are also increasing; some are associated with a high mortality. Temporary cardiac pacing has a valuable role in cases of hypotension related to dysrhythmia, or when it is necessary to provide overdrive pacing. However, despite technically successful and uncomplicated pacemaker insertion and restoration of cardiac elec...