Background: Pain management in trauma patients can be difficult due to their varied injuries and presence or absence of illicit substances in their systems. Additionally, trauma patients have variable lengths of stay. Limiting length of stay to what is medically necessary and preventing long-term dependence on narcotic medications are important in trauma patient care.
Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 385 consecutive trauma activations at a Level II trauma center with urine toxicology screens from 2015. Main outcome measures recorded were urine toxicology results, average daily morphine milligram equivalents (MME), length of stay (LOS), injury severity score (ISS). We also recorded patient demographic information. Statistical analysis compared outcomes and demographics between trauma patients with positive urine toxicology screens to those with negative screens. Significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Positive urine toxicology screens were present in 230/385 (59.7%) patients. The median (interquartile range (IQR)) daily MME usage in the positive urine toxicology group was 25.2 (12.0-48.6) versus 12.4 (2.5-27.5) for those with a negative drug screen (p < 0.001). Median LOS was 3 (1-6) days versus 2 (1-4) days for the positive and negative groups, respectively (p = 0.004). There were no differences in age, gender distribution, or ISS between the two groups. Subgroup analysis showed urine toxicology positive for opiates, benzodiazepines, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were associated with increased daily MME. Benzodiazepines and amphetamines were associated with increased LOS.
Conclusion: This study identifies a positive toxicology screening as a risk factor for increased narcotic demands and longer length of stay in trauma patients. These findings may assist in developing treatment plans and setting expectations in this population. This information can also lead to proactive interventions aimed at minimizing narcotic use and shortening LOS in this population.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2021.02.008 | DOI Listing |
Urine drug screening is carried out on numerous automated analysis platforms using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. While these methods are rapid, they often lack specificity. We report the case of a 5-year-old child treated for Dravet disease and hospitalized for clonic seizures.
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Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. Electronic address:
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Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Service Platform, Key Laboratory of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai, China. Electronic address:
Aconitum herbs contain several highly toxic diester-diterpenoid alkaloids, including aconitine, mesaconitine, and hypaconitine. However, finding the cause of death is rather difficult for forensic pathologists during forensic autopsy of aconitine-induced death. Therefore, the ability to determine Aconitum alkaloids is important in these cases.
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Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA.
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