Emerging Illicit Drug Trends & First Responders Management of Excited Delirium
(Room 3D)
25 Feb 17
1:00 PM
-
2:30 PM
The number of substances abused has expanded significantly in the past few years. The UN's office on drugs and crime (UNODC) reported that the speed and creativity in the emergence of new designer drugs has left the international drug control system floundering for the first time since its establishment in 1961. The newly developed legal high industry has gone global, with 70 out of the 80 countries surveyed in 2013 reporting the emergence of new psychoactive substances with significant market share. First responders will encounter patients inebriated by a variety of these novel abused substances. This lecture is factual case-based, highlighting the variety of patients that may be encountered and the associated signs and symptoms. Potential complications will be discussed. A review of appropriate treatments will be noted, specifically emphasizing various options in pre-hospital pharmacotherapy and management of excited delirium. Objectives are to discuss the most recent epidemiological trends in substances of abuse; review the clinical effects of the various classes of abused substances and highlight the appropriate management of the intoxicated patient.