Overdose News and Research

RSS

Mobile, supervised drug use units considered cost effective: Report

Drug abuse experts believe Melbourne needs a mobile, supervised drug injecting van. This is mainly due to the geographical spread of drug abusers in the region.

22 Jun 2010

Veterans with substance use disorders utilize violent means to commit suicide: Study

Veterans with substance use disorders who die by suicide are more likely to use violent means (such as a firearm) rather than nonviolent means (such as a drug overdose), new research suggests.

22 Jun 2010

NAN warns health care practitioners about dangers posed by EPHINEPHrine shortage

A National Alert for Serious Medication Errors was issued yesterday by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, warning health care practitioners about dangerous medication errors that could be caused by a shortage of EPINEPHrine pre-filled syringes.

18 Jun 2010

FDA cautions on infant overdose risk with liquid Vitamin D

The Food and Drug Administration today alerted parents and caregivers that some liquid Vitamin D supplement products are sold with droppers that could allow excessive dosing of Vitamin D to infants.

16 Jun 2010

Study suggests inexperienced medical staff make fatal medication errors

Are new medical residents a threat to patients? According to Dr. David Phillips and Gwendolyn Barker from the University of California, San Diego in the US, fatal medication errors peak in July in teaching hospitals in particular, which coincides with the yearly influx of new medical residents who are given increased responsibility for patient care.

3 Jun 2010

FDA warns consumers not to purchase or use Arrow Brand Medicated Oil & Embrocation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers not to purchase or use a product called "Arrow Brand Medicated Oil & Embrocation," also labeled as "Aceite Medicinal La Flecha (Spanish) or "箭嘜驅風油 (Mandarin)." The product is potentially toxic and contains two substances, methyl salicylate and camphor, which are poisonous when ingested.

29 May 2010

Personal injury claims solicitors call for more GP accountability

First Personal Injury's team of personal injury claims solicitors has called for more GP accountability following the recent compensation payout to the family of a man killed by an overdose. David Gray was administered an accidental overdose of a painkilling drug by a GP in 2008. His family have recently been awarded 40,000 pounds sterling in compensation.

26 May 2010

New drug testing technique is safe and effective

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet presents a new technique that makes drug testing possible through exhaled air for the first time.

21 May 2010

Study presents new technique that makes drug testing possible through exhaled air

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet presents a new technique that makes drug testing possible through exhaled air for the first time. By examining people who had received emergency care for an amphetamine overdose, the researchers found that in all cases there were traces of amphetamine and metamphetamine in the exhaled breath.

19 May 2010

Australian TGA approves Acetadote for treatment of paracetamol poisoning

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Phebra Pty Ltd. today announced that Acetadote® (acetylcysteine) Injection has been granted regulatory approval for marketing and sale in Australia. Acetadote, an injectable drug used to treat acetaminophen (paracetamol) overdose, was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the government agency responsible for regulating drugs and medical devices in Australia.

12 May 2010

Study examines lifestyle-related causes of death in AIDS patients

The study, by researchers from the University of Bristol and a large group of international collaborators, examined data from the Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration (ART-CC) which involved nearly 40,000 patients who started ART between 1996 and 2006 in Europe and North America.

29 Apr 2010

Causes of death in AIDS patients

New research shows that Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) continues to dramatically reduce rates of mortality from HIV infection in high-income countries, such that non-AIDS-related deaths exceed AIDS deaths after approximately four years of taking ART.

28 Apr 2010

CocE exhibits potential for clinical treatment of cocaine toxicity

Cocaine toxicity due to drug overdose results in more than half a million emergency room visits annually. Despite these alarming statistics, there is no Food and Drug Administration-approved pharmacotherapy specifically designed to treat cocaine toxicity. Emergency medical personnel are limited to treating only the immediate life-threatening symptoms of patients, while toxic levels of cocaine and its metabolic break-down products persist and continue to damage the cardiovascular system, liver and brain.

27 Apr 2010

Jefferson Medical College surgeon uses artificial liver assist device as bridge to transplantation

Cataldo Doria, M.D., Ph.D., Nicoletti Family Professor of Transplant Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and director of the Division of Transplantation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the first transplant surgeon in the United States to use a new totally artificial liver assist device as a bridge to transplantation.

27 Apr 2010

Need for better understanding potential dangers of prescription painkillers

In response to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine called "Hospitalizations for Poisoning by Prescription Opioids, Sedatives, and Tranquilizers," the Waismann Method of Opiate Detoxification is urging Americans to take measures to better understand and recognize the potential dangers and addictive nature of prescription painkillers.

22 Apr 2010

Pharmacies launch Dispose My Meds campaign to help consumers safely dispose unused medications

Nearly 800 community pharmacies in 40 states are making it easier than ever for consumers to safely dispose of unused patient medications at their local pharmacy, the National Community Pharmacists Association and Sharps Compliance, Inc. announced today.

20 Apr 2010

After close call, actor Dennis Quaid takes on medical mistakes

USA Today: After nearly losing twin newborns to a medical mistake - adult doses of blood thinners were given to the infants - actor Dennis Quaid has taken up the cause of shedding light on the often invisible issues surrounding patient safety.

15 Apr 2010

Updated Safe Practices for Better Healthcare manual

To improve the quality and safety of healthcare in the United States, the National Quality Forum is releasing its updated manual Safe Practices for Better Healthcare. The 34 Safe Practices outlined in the manual are tools to prevent healthcare errors and address common issues like healthcare-associated infections, medication errors, surgical errors, and pressure ulcers

9 Apr 2010

Medical community and MPs react to deaths caused by inept foreign doctors

German doctor Daniel Ubani accidentally killed patient David Gray on his first UK shift as an out-of-hours locum GP. The death of the man aged 70 occurred from an overdose of diamorphine administered by Ubani whose poor English skills are being blamed. This has lead to a strong reaction from the local medical community and the MPs.

8 Apr 2010

Prescription drug abuse reaches epidemic proportions

Poisoning is now the second leading cause of unintentional injury death in the U.S. While several recent high-profile Hollywood celebrity cases have brought the problem to public attention, the rates of unintentional poisoning deaths have been on the rise for more than 15 years.

6 Apr 2010