State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting Surveillance: Opioid Overdose Deaths and Characteristics in Rhode Island.

R I Med J (2013)

Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health; Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Associate Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, School of Public Health, Brown University.

Published: September 2018

AI Article Synopsis

  • Unintentional opioid overdoses are a rising public health crisis in the U.S., with Rhode Island experiencing significant drug overdose deaths, particularly from opioids.
  • During the latter half of 2016, 142 individuals died from opioid overdoses in Rhode Island, predominantly male and aged 25-65, with most being non-Hispanic white.
  • Key factors contributing to these overdoses included high rates of substance abuse, mental health issues, and a majority of cases involving multiple substances, notably fentanyl; however, only a small percentage received naloxone, highlighting the need for improved intervention strategies.

Article Abstract

Unintentional opioid overdoses are a growing public health epidemic in the United States. Rhode Island is also faced with a challenging crisis of drug overdose deaths. The State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting Surveillance (SUDORS) data from the second half of 2016 were used to present opioid overdose deaths and characteristics in Rhode Island. During July-December 2016, 142 individuals died of opioid overdose in Rhode Island. People who died by opioid overdose were more likely to be 25-65 years old, male, and non-Hispanic white. The most common precipitating circumstances were substance abuse (88%), current mental health problems (43%), and physical health problems (27.5%). Over 83% of decedents had 2 or more substances attribute to causing their death, with fentanyl (71.1%) as the most common substance. Only 36.6% of decedents had naloxone administered. Fatal opioid overdose data are important for understanding this public health crisis and can guide overdose intervention efforts.

Download full-text PDF

Source

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

opioid overdose
20
rhode island
16
drug overdose
12
overdose deaths
12
overdose
9
state unintentional
8
unintentional drug
8
overdose reporting
8
reporting surveillance
8
deaths characteristics
8

Similar Publications

Background: Organ procurement from brain-dead pregnant women is rare and typically occurs postfetal delivery. In this case report, we describe organ procurement from a brain-dead woman in her third trimester of pregnancy with a nonviable fetus remaining in utero.

Case Summary: We report a 33-year-old woman at 38 weeks gestation who suffered anoxic brain injury following cardiac arrest due to suspected opioid overdose.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: As illicit drug manufacturers find new ways to market their products and increase their profit margins, multiple contaminants have found their way into the illicit drug supply. The newest addition, xylazine, also known as "tranq," has spread through the city of Philadelphia and has recently been gaining ground across the United States, including in the state of Florida.

Case Presentation: This case describes a 37-year-old male with a significant past psychiatric history of severe polysubstance intravenous (IV) use, including fentanyl and methamphetamine.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Question: The opioid epidemic causes massive morbidity, and males have substantially greater overdose mortality rates than females. It is unclear whether there are sex-related disparities at different stages in the trajectory of opioid use disorders (OUD), from large samples in the community.

Goal: To determine sex disparities in non-medical opioid use (NMOU) at the end of treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), using national data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Direct Induction of Buprenorphine Extended-Release: A Case Report.

J Addict Med

December 2024

From the Integrated Psychiatry, Pain, and Addiction Service, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (PA, JSHW, JM, MN, VWL, MJI, NM); Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (PA, MN, VWL, MJI, NM); Addictions and Concurrent Disorders Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (JSHW, RMK); Substance Use Response and Facilitation Service, BC Children's Hospital, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (MJI); BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (NM); Bridge, Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA (AAH); Department of Emergency Medicine, Highland General Hospital-Alameda Health System, Oakland, CA (AAH); Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA (AAH); The C4 Foundation, Coronado, CA (RM); British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (JSGM); Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (JSGM); and Pharmacokinetics Modeling and Simulation Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (ARM).

Buprenorphine has superior safety in opioid use disorder compared with alternatives due to its action as a partial opioid agonist, which limits its ability to cause respiratory depression. There is a risk of precipitated opioid withdrawal after buprenorphine exposure in someone using full opioid agonists. Buprenorphine induction strategies that avoid precipitated withdrawal remain a crucial component for starting buprenorphine in individuals actively using opioids.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) has been implicated as a potential risk factor for adverse outcomes and readmissions in various surgical procedures. Patients admitted with an open fracture of the lower extremity often have multifarious pain needs, require surgical procedures, and have prolonged rehabilitation; previous OUD complicates this process. Our goal was to describe at a national level how OUD is associated with readmission, complications, and healthcare expenditure for patients admitted with open lower extremity fractures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!