23 Dec Pediatric Acute Opioid Poisonings Increasing

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Megan Land, MD, PGY 6
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship
Emory University School of Medicine

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

• Much of the research on the opioid crisis has focused on the impact to adults; however, children and adolescents in the US are also negatively affected by the opioid epidemic.
• The percentage of children admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit increased over the study period as the clinical effects of the opioid ingestions increased in severity.
• The primary intent of opioid ingestions was suspected suicide attempts in adolescents resulting in increasing admissions to a psychiatric hospital.
• Opioids associated with the highest odds of needing an intervention in an intensive care unit were methadone, fentanyl, and heroin. 

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? 

Response: The main findings of our study are that children were involved in just over 25% of a total (1,002,947) opioid-related cases reported to US poison centers from 2005 to 2018 

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

• Despite efforts to limit and monitor access to prescription opioids, the proportion of severe admissions for acute opioid poisonings, especially following attempted suicide, is increasing.
• Parents and pediatricians need to be alert to the risk of self-harm, misuse and abuse of opioids in children and adolescents, remove or restrict access to opioids, and seek mental health services for children and adolescents at risk for self-harm and opioid abuse. 

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: Further studies to establish the effectiveness of policy changes would be helpful to guide the country through the opioid epidemic.

The authors have no disclosures 

Citation:

Megan E. Land, Martha Wetzel, Robert J. Geller, Pradip P. Kamat & Jocelyn R. Grunwell (2019) Analysis of 207,543 children with acute opioid poisonings from the United States National Poison Data System, Clinical Toxicology, DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2019.1691731 

If you are at risk, please stop here and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for support
800-273-8255

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Last Updated on December 23, 2019 by Marie Benz MD FAAD