Publications by authors named "Louise Kao"

Carbon monoxide accounts for thousands of deaths worldwide each year. Clinical effects can be diverse and include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, syncope, seizures, coma, dysrhythmias, and cardiac ischemia, and severe toxicity generally affects the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Because of its complex pathophysiology, effects of toxicity can be acute or delayed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Currently, no standardized core content in medical toxicology exists for medical students. The goals of this study were to (1) assess the current state and needs of medical toxicology clerkships and (2) develop a consensus-derived list of core topics that should be covered during a medical toxicology clerkship.

Methods: We assembled a task force established by the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) of nine experts in medical toxicology or emergency medicine.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The opioid epidemic continues to have devastating consequences for children and families across the United States with rising prevalence of opioid use and abuse. Given the ease of access to these medications, accidental ingestion and overdose by children are becoming increasingly more common. The recognition of opioid-induced neurotoxicity and the associated life-threatening complication of acute cerebellar cytotoxic edema are crucial, as are the high morbidity and mortality without timely intervention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) Registry was established by the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) in 2010. The Registry collects data from participating sites with the agreement that all bedside medical toxicology consultation will be entered. The objective of this ninth annual report is to summarize the Registry's 2018 data and activity with its additional 7043 cases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Ibogaine is a psychoactive indole alkaloid that has been investigated for use as a treatment for opioid addiction. While not commercially available in the United States, it is available via Internet suppliers. Ibogaine use has been associated with significant cardiac and neurologic effects, such as QT-segment prolongation, cardiac dysrhythmias, hallucinations, seizures, and central nervous system depression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP) is a known uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation that clinically results in hyperthermia, tachycardia, tachypnea, and metabolic acidosis. Overdoses of DNP are often fatal and there is no specific reversal therapy. Dantrolene interferes with calcium release in skeletal muscle and is traditionally used to treat malignant hyperthermia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) Case Registry was established by the American College of Medical Toxicology in 2010. The Registry collects data from participating sites with the agreement that all bedside medical toxicology consultations will be entered. The objective of this eighth annual report is to summarize the Registry's 2017 data and activity with its additional 7577 cases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: Brain death guidelines should be used with caution in patients with drug intoxication. It is often suggested that physicians use five half-lives of a drug when observing a patient with an overdose. We report two cases of baclofen intoxication where brain death was entertained as an explanation for prolonged coma, with arousal seen days later, suggesting that routine use of a 5-half-life observation period is insufficient with baclofen intoxication.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dysrhythmias, although common in overdose situations, are not often seen after benzodiazepine exposures. We report two cases of transient atrioventricular block after benzodiazepine misuse. Case 1 is a 4-year-old boy who was found unresponsive after an ingestion of clonazepam.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unlabelled: Oral and intravenous (IV) N-acetylcysteine (NAC) are used for the treatment of acetaminophen poisoning. The objective of this multicenter study was to compare the safety of these two routes of administration.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter chart review of all patients treated with NAC for acetaminophen poisoning.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Of the known elements, nearly 80% are either metals or metalloids. The highly reactive nature of most metals result in their forming complexes with other compounds such oxygen, sulfide and chloride. Although this reactivity is the primary means by which they are toxic, many metals, in trace amounts, are vital to normal physiological processes; examples include iron in oxygen transport, manganese and selenium in antioxidant defense and zinc in metabolism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Calcium channel blockers continue to be used for the management of a wide variety of adult and pediatric conditions including hypertension, angina pectoris, atrial arrhythmias, Raynaud phenomenon, and migraine headaches. With increased use comes increased potential for misuse and abuse. This article serves as a review of calcium channel blocker physiology with emphasis on presentation and management of the pediatric patient with calcium channel blocker toxicity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inadvertent or intentional metformin overdose can result in death from refractory lactic acidosis. We report a death from metformin-induced refractory lactic acidosis despite aggressive care. A 49-year-old hypertensive diabetic female presented 1 hour after ingesting 60 tablets of 500 mg metformin and 20 combination tablets of 12.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Brown recluse spider bite is a common diagnosis in almost every state in America. In fact, cases have been reported in areas where the spider has never been seen. A review of medical literature reveals that most current concepts regarding brown recluse spider envenomation are based on supposition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Carbon monoxide is an insidious poison that accounts for thousands of deaths each year in North America. Clinical effects maybe diverse and include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting,syn-cope, seizures, coma, dysrhythmias, and cardiac ischemia. Children, pregnant women, and patients who have underlying cardiovascular disease are particularly at risk for adverse out-comes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

CO is an ubiquitous poison with many sources of exposure. CO poisoning produces diverse signs and symptoms that are often subtle and may be easily misdiagnosed. Failure to diagnose CO poisoning may result insignificant morbidity and mortality and permit continued exposure to a dangerous environment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Drug therapy may induce Q-T prolongation by alteration of potassium ion currents in cardiac cells, resulting in abnormal repolarization. Q-T prolongation, whether congenital or acquired, has been associated with the development of the malignant dysrhythmia Torsade de Pointes (TdP), which may result in sudden death. Re-cent regulatory actions and drug withdrawals due to Q-T prolongation or TdP have focused attention on this issue.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF