Fentanyl Deaths in Infants and Children: A Case Series and Literature Review.

Death due to fentanyl and its various analogs has resulted in an exponential rise in deaths throughout the United States, overwhelming many medical examiner offices for over a decade. Its potency and prevalence have caused fentanyl to become the most reported substance in overdose fatalities, with an accompanying increase in exposure of the most vulnerable, infants and children. This report provides information about fentanyl in the pediatric population, including case examples, proposed investigative practices, published therapeutic and lethal blood concentrations, and available resources for future cases.

Fentanyl- and fentanyl analog-related deaths across five counties in Central New York between 2013 and 2017.

Deaths due to drug overdose in the US in 2017 amounted to approximately 72,000, an increase of 12% from the previous year. There was a near tenfold increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids from 3,105 in 2013 to approximately 30,000 in 2017. Recent data from the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified fentanyl as most frequently involved in overdose deaths in the US as of 2016.