Flecainide Toxicity Secondary to Accidental Overdose: A Pediatric Case Report of Two Brothers

Flecainide is a class 1C antiarrhythmic with a narrow therapeutic window and thereby a high-risk medication for causing acute toxicity. Dysrhythmias secondary to flecainide ingestion are often refractory to antiarrhythmics and cardioversion, and patients commonly require extracorporeal support. We review the successful resuscitation of two brothers aged 2 and 4 who presented two years apart with unstable wide-complex tachyarrhythmia suspicious for severe flecainide toxicity. Each patient received sodium bicarbonate and 20% intravenous lipid emulsion with a full recovery. While extracorporeal support is often required following flecainide ingestion, we present two cases where it was avoided due to aggressive multimodal management with sodium bicarbonate, electrolyte repletion, and 20% intravenous lipid emulsion. In addition, avoidance of agitation-induced tachycardia may be beneficial.

General Approach to the Poisoned Patient

Poisoning and ingestions constitute an increasing amount of morbidity and mortality nationwide. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), 2.2 million exposures were reported in 2013, and ingestions are currently the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. Exposures include intentional overdose or suicide attempts, accidental overdose in drug abusers or children, and work-related injuries or acts of terrorism. According to the AAPCC, 50% of exposures are in children less than 5 years old and 80% of exposures are unintentional. When it comes to the unstable undifferentiated and possibly poisoned patient, one must take a stepwise approach similar to that for any critically ill patient, This review covers the pathophysiology, stabilization and assessment, diagnosis and treatment, and disposition and outcomes of poisoning. Figures show The Full Outline of Unresponsiveness (FOUR) scale, a patient with methemoglobinemia, a hand with scaling due to mercury poisoning, an electrocardiogram with examples of QT prolongation and QRS widening, and an electrocardiogram of bidirectional ventricular tachycardia, pathognomonic of digitalis glycoside poisoning. Tables list a stepwise approach to a potentially poisoned patient, a general approach to the poisoned patient, heart rate, toxidromes, anticholinergic toxidrome, cholinergic toxidrome, Glasgow Coma Scale, toxins and associated odors, electrocardiogram findings, causes of anion-gap metabolic acidosis, and antidotes. This review contains 5 highly rendered figures, 13 tables, and 23 references Key words: Poison ingestion, Accidental poisoning, Toxidrome, Accidental overdose

Cardiac arrest due to accidental overdose with norepinephrine dissolved in crystalloid

Vasoactive agents should be administered through a controlled well-marked infusor pump, ideally via a central venous catheter if given over longer periods of time. During transfer of haemodynamically unstable patients with limited staffing and resources on site, a peripheral vasopressor infusion is sometimes resorted to as a temporary measure of optimising haemodynamic parameters. We report a case of accidental norepinephrine overdose after such practice, resulting in cardiac arrest. It illustrates the importance of careful use and labelling of vasoactive agents during the transport and handover of critically ill patients. Finally, we explore human factor issues associated with transfer from the pre-hospital to the in-hospital environment when such preparations are used.

Exploring the Influence of Drug Trafficking Gangs on Overdose Deaths in the Largest Narcotics Market in the Eastern United States

Research has found that drug markets tend to cluster in space, potentially because of the profit that can be made when customers are drawn to areas with multiple suppliers. But few studies have examined how these clusters of drug markets—which have been termed “agglomeration economies”—may be related to accidental overdose deaths, and in particular, the spatial distribution of mortality from overdose. Focusing on a large neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for its open-air drug markets, this study examines whether deaths from accidental drug overdose are clustered around street corners controlled by drug trafficking gangs. This study incorporates theoretically-informed social and physical environmental characteristics of street corner units into the models predicting overdose deaths. Given a number of environmental changes relevant to drug use locations was taking place in the focal neighborhood during the analysis period, the authors first employ a novel concentration metric—the Rare Event Concentration Coefficient—to assess clustering of overdose deaths annually between 2015 and 2019. The results of these models reveal that overdose deaths became less clustered over time and that the density was considerably lower after 2017. Hence, the predictive models in this study are focused on the two-year period between 2018 and 2019. Results from spatial econometric regression models find strong support for the association between corner drug markets and accidental overdose deaths. In addition, a number of sociostructural factors, such as concentrated disadvantage, and physical environmental factors, particularly blighted housing, are associated with a higher rate of overdose deaths. Implications from this study highlight the need for efforts that strategically coordinate law enforcement, social service provision and reductions in housing blight targeted to particular geographies.