accidental overdose of chemotherapy drugs including vinblastin (vbl) have been reported in the literature. as vbl overdose is potentially fatal, we decided to introduce a 2-year-old girl affected by langerhans’ cell histiocytosis who was accidentally injected 10-times the prescribed dose of vbl (16 mg), and was saved with whole blood double exchange transfusion at 8 and 20 hrs after the acciden...

BACKGROUND Non-fatal overdose is a major determinant of morbidity among injection drug users (IDU). We sought to evaluate factors associated with non-fatal overdose among IDU in Vancouver. METHODS We examined non-fatal overdose among participants in the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study. Correlates of non-fatal overdose occurring between 1996 and 2004 were identified using generalized esti...

The distribution of naloxone to heroin users is a suggested intervention to reduce overdose and death rates. However, the level of willingness of drug users to administer this medication to others is unclear. Drug users recruited from the community between January 2002 and January 2004 completed a structured interview that assessed topics including drug use, overdose history, and attitudes towa...

AIMS To determine the contribution of heroin, prescription opioids, cocaine and alcohol/drug combinations to the total overdose death rate and identify changes in drug overdose patterns among New Mexico subpopulations. DESIGN We analyzed medical examiner data for all unintentional drug overdose deaths in New Mexico during 1990-2005. Age-adjusted drug overdose death rates were calculated by se...

STUDY OBJECTIVE Emergency physicians have an opportunity to provide overdose fatality prevention interventions to individuals at risk for experiencing or witnessing an overdose to reduce fatality. The present study uses data about the most recent overdose observed by a sample of inner-city drug users to determine the circumstances of overdose that are associated with overdose fatality. METHOD...

BACKGROUND Conventional drug overdose prevention strategies have been criticised for failing to address the macro- and micro-environmental factors that shape drug injecting practices and compromise individual ability to reduce the risks associated with drug-related overdose. This in turn has led to calls for interventions that address overdose risks by modifying the drug-using environment, incl...

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.,...

BACKGROUND Acetaminophen overdose is the most common cause of acute liver failure (ALF). Our objective was to develop coding algorithms using administrative data for identifying patients with acetaminophen overdose and hepatic complications. METHODS Patients hospitalized for acetaminophen overdose were identified using population-based administrative data (1995-2004). Coding algorithms for ac...

BACKGROUND Heroin overdose is responsible for significant mortality. It has not previously been highlighted as an important prevention or care issue for general practitioners (GPs) involved in the management of drug misuse. AIMS To examine the prevalence and experience of heroin overdose in a population of drug users attending a general practice. METHOD A questionnaire-based interview of dr...