ANTIDOTES

Course overview

OVERDOSES AND ACCIDENTAL INGESTIONS OR EXPOSURES ARE COMMON THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. WITH MORE THAN 2.4 MILLION TOXIC EXPOSURES EACH YEAR, POISONING IS THE SECOND MOST COMMON CAUSE OF INJURY-RELATED MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN THE UNITED STATES. IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2015 ANTIDOTES FOR VARIOUS OVERDOSES WERE USED 184,742 TIMES. WHILE FOR MANY OVERDOSES AND INTOXICATIONS THE TREATMENT INVOLVES SUPPORTIVE CARE AND TREATMENT OF THE SEQUELAE THERE ARE SPECIFIC ANTIDOTES AVAILABLE FOR A VARIETY OF SUBSTANCES. IDENTIFYING THE INGESTION AND PROMPT ADMINISTRATION OF THE CORRECT ANTIDOTE CAN PREVENT SIGNIFICANT MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FOR MANY PATIENTS. THIS ACTIVITY WILL FOCUS ON UPDATING THE HEALTH TEAM ON SIXTEEN OF THE MOST COMMON OVERDOSE PRESENTATIONS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING ANTIDOTES. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF COMMON OVERDOSES, AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND TREATING PATIENTS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED AN OVERDOSE.