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The overdose epidemic in the United States is evolving, with a rise in stimulant (cocaine and/or methamphetamine)-only and opioid and stimulant-involved overdose deaths for reasons that remain unclear. We conducted interviews and group model building workshops in Massachusetts and South Dakota. Building on these data and extant research, we identified six dynamic hypotheses, explaining changes in stimulant-involved overdose trends, visualized using causal loop diagrams. For stimulant- and opioid-involved overdose deaths, three dynamic hypotheses emerged: (1) accidental exposure to fentanyl from stimulants; (2) primary stimulant users increasingly using opioids, often with resignation; (3) primary opioid (especially fentanyl) users increasingly using stimulants to balance the sedating effect of fentanyl. For stimulant-only overdose deaths, three additional dynamic hypotheses emerged: (1) disbelief that death could occur from stimulants alone, and doubt in testing capabilities to detect fentanyl; (2) the stimulant supply has changed, leading to higher unpredictability and thus higher overdose risk; and (3) long-term stimulant use contributing to deteriorating health and increasing overdose risk. These hypotheses likely each explain a portion of the recent trends in stimulant-involved overdoses. However, confusion and uncertainty around the drug supply emerged as a central theme, underscoring the chaotic and unpredictable nature of the stimulant market. Our findings indicate the need for research to develop targeted public health interventions, including analyzing the extent of the effect of contamination on overdoses, reducing confusion about the stimulant supply, and examining historical stimulant use trends., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: In consideration of rising opioid-stimulant deaths in the United States, this study explored rates of naloxone administration and survival in suspected opioid overdoses with, versus without, stimulants co-involved., Methods: The study analyzed 26,635 suspected opioid-involved overdoses recorded by law enforcement/first-responders in the Pennsylvania Overdose Information Network in 63 Pennsylvania counties, January 2018-July 2024. All measures, including suspected drug involvement, were based on first-responder assessment/report. Relative frequencies and chi-square tests were first used to compare suspected opioid overdoses with, versus without, stimulants (cocaine or methamphetamine) co-involved. Next, mediation analyses tested naloxone administration as a mediator in the association between stimulant co-involvement (in opioid overdoses) and survival., Results: Naloxone was reportedly administered in 72.2 % of the suspected opioid-no-cocaine overdoses, compared to 55.1 % of the opioid-cocaine-involved overdoses, and 72.1 % of the opioid-no-methamphetamine overdoses vs. 52.4 % of the opioid-methamphetamine-involved overdoses. With respect to survival rates, 18.0 % of the suspected opioid-no-cocaine overdoses ended in death, compared to 41.3 % of the opioid-cocaine overdoses; 18.1 % of the opioid-no-methamphetamine overdoses ended in death, versus 42.9 % of the opioid-methamphetamine overdoses. In mediation analyses (adjusted for demographics, county, year, and other drug co-involvement), naloxone administration mediated 38.7 % (95 % Confidence Interval [CI], 31.3-46.0 %) of the association between suspected cocaine co-involvement and survival and 39.2 % (95 % CI, 31.3-47.1 %) of the association between suspected methamphetamine co-involvement and survival., Conclusions: Among suspected opioid overdoses recorded in the Pennsylvania Overdose Information Network, stimulant co-involvement was associated with lower naloxone administration and higher fatality, with naloxone partially mediating the association between stimulant co-involvement and death., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Frank LoVecchio reports a relationship with AbbVie (antibiotics only) that includes: speaking and lecture fees. Abenaa Jones reports a relationship with National Institute on Drug Abuse that includes: funding grants. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cocaine overdose is a condition in which an increase in blood pressure, heart rate and depth of breath is observed. Cocaine consumption also causes a wide and well-known neuropsychiatric symptomatology that is characterized by incomprehensible behavior, confused and disordered thoughts, and paranoia. Cocaine addiction is a worldwide public health problem, which has somatic, psychological, psychiatric, socio-economic, and judicial complications., Case Series: This work shows three cases in which cocaine poisoning and overdose caused a psychotic and extremely violent behavior in the hours leading up to the death of the subjects., Conclusion: The aim of this brief case series is to suggest some diagnostic criteria for the correct definition of this psychosis in order to make an early diagnosis crucial to prevent deaths related to it.

The purpose of this study is to show a very rare complication of acute cocaine poisoning, namely heart rupture. In the present case report, acute cocaine intoxication caused massive myocardial infarction, resulting in heart rupture and cardiac tamponade. A crime scene investigation found a dead body on the street in a drug dealing district. Examination of the body showed no external injuries. A thorough autopsy was performed showing massive cardiac tamponade with 510 ml of blood within the pericardium and full-thickness tissue lesion at the posterior wall of the left ventricle of 3.5 × 3 cm. Histological examination in hematoxylin and eosin was performed and confirmed the interruption of the posterior wall of the left ventricle with the presence of blood. In fact, although the correlation between cocaine and myocardial damage is well established, the relationship between heart rupture and acute cocaine intoxication is an extremely rare event. Moreover, since there are, to date, few reports of similar deaths, our report provides useful information regarding sudden death in a cocaine abuser. It is, therefore, of crucial importance to report this case to the scientific community., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

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Background: Poisonings resulting from the abuse of drugs currently represent a serious problem for public health. Among the main agents involved, cocaine stands out. It became one of the most abused drugs around the world, and one of the main reasons for visits to the emergency department due to the use of illicit substances. The use of cocaine is primarily in combination with alcoholic beverages. There are few studies that correlate cocaine blood concentration and the severity of clinical manifestations in patients evaluated at Emergency Department. The aim of the present study was to verify the possible relationship between the blood concentration of cocaine and cocaethylene (product of the interaction of cocaine with ethanol) with the severity of the clinical manifestations presented by patients with cocaine intoxication., Methods: Blood levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the severity of clinical manifestations was assessed using the Stimulant Intoxication Score (SIS). To establish this relationship, Pearson's chi-square statistical test (x 2 ) was used for categorical variables and Student's t for continuous variables, with statistical significance of 5% (p < 0.05)., Results: Of the 81 patients included in the study, 77.8% were men with a mean age of 32.5 years ± 8.5 and mean of SIS 3.4 ± 2.5. Considering the toxicological analysis results, 24.7% of the blood samples were positive. The mean of cocaine and cocaethylene concentrations were 0.34 μg/mL ± 0.45 and 0.38 μg/mL ± 0.34, respectively. The blood concentration of cocaine and cocaethylene has not been shown to be useful information for the treatment and prognosis of patients, but blood levels of these substances at the time of treatment, regardless of their concentration, may be an indicator of severity, showing that any concentrations of these substances should be considered as potentially toxic., Conclusion: The application of the SIS score proved to be an important alternative capable of predicting the severity of the patients due to cocaine intoxication in a fast and simplified way., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: HEART score is widely used to stratify patients with chest pain in the emergency department but has never been validated for cocaine-associated chest pain (CACP). We sought to evaluate the performance of HEART score in risk stratifying patients with CACP compared to an age- and sex-matched cohort with non-CACP., Methods: The parent study was an observational cohort study that enrolled consecutive patients with chest pain. We identified patients with CACP and age/sex matched them to patients with non-CACP in 1:2 fashion. HEART score was calculated retrospectively from charts. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) within 30 days of indexed encounter., Results: We included 156 patients with CACP and 312 age-and sex-matched patients with non-CACP (n = 468, mean age 51 ± 9, 22% females). There was no difference in rate of MACE between the groups (17.9% vs. 15.7%, p = 0.54). Compared to the non-CACP group, the HEART score had lower classification performance in those with CACP (AUC = 0.68 [0.56-0.80] vs. 0.84 [0.78-0.90], p = 0.022). In CACP group, Troponin score had the highest discriminatory value (AUC = 0.72 [0.60-0.85]) and Risk factors score had the lowest (AUC = 0.47 [0.34-0.59]). In patients deemed low-risk by the HEART score, those with CACP were more likely to experience MACE (14% vs. 4%, OR = 3.7 [1.3-10.7], p = 0.016)., Conclusion: In patients with CACP, HEART score performs poorly in stratifying risk and is not recommended as a rule out tool to identify those at low risk of MACE., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest This paper is not under consideration elsewhere; none of the paper's contents have been previously published; all authors have read and approved the manuscript; and none of the authors have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose of Review: This review provides an update on recently published literature on the rise of illicit fentanyls, risks for overdose, combinations with other substances, e.g. stimulants, consequences, and treatment., Recent Findings: Overdose due to illicit synthetic opioids (e.g. fentanyl and fentanyl analogs) continues to rise in the US both preceding and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fentanyl-related overdose is rising in new geographic areas e.g. the western USA. Stimulant-related overdose is also increasing nationwide driven by methamphetamine and cocaine. Polysubstance use, e.g. the use of a stimulant along with an opioid is driving stimulant-related overdose. Other medical consequences of injection drug use are rising including HIV and hepatitis C infections. Medication approaches to treating opioid use disorder remain the standard of care and there are new promising pharmacological approaches to treating methamphetamine use disorder., Summary: A 'fourth wave' of high mortality involving methamphetamine and cocaine use has been gathering force in the USA. Availability and use of illicit fentanyls are still the major drivers of overdose deaths and the current rise in stimulant-related deaths appears entwined with the ongoing opioid epidemic., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Overdose of stimulant drugs has been associated with increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events (ACVE), some of which may be ascribed to endothelial dysfunction. The aims of this study were to evaluate biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in emergency department (ED) patients with acute cocaine overdose and to assess the association between in-hospital ACVE in ED patients with any acute drug overdose. This was a prospective consecutive cohort study over 9 months (2015-2016) at two urban, tertiary-care hospital EDs. Consecutive adults (≥18 years) presenting with suspected acute drug overdose were eligible and separated into three groups: cocaine (n = 47), other drugs (n = 128), and controls (n = 11). Data were obtained from medical records and linked to waste serum specimens, sent as part of routine clinical care, for biomarker analysis. Serum specimens were collected and analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit for three biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction: (a) endothelin-1 (ET-1), (b) regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and (c) soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (siCAM-1). Mean siCAM was elevated for cocaine compared with controls and other drugs (p < .01); however, mean RANTES and ET-1 levels were not significantly different for any drug exposure groups. Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis for prediction of in-hospital ACVE revealed excellent performance of siCAM-1 (area under curve, 0.86; p < .001) but lack of predictive utility for either RANTES or ET-1. These results suggest that serum siCAM-1 is a viable biomarker for acute cocaine overdose and that endothelial dysfunction may be an important surrogate for adverse cardiovascular events following any drug overdose., (© 2020 Society for the Study of Addiction.)

Background: Illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogues (IMFs) are being increasingly suspected in overdose deaths. However, few prior outbreaks have been reported thus far of patients with laboratory-confirmed IMF toxicity after reporting intent to use only nonopioid substances. Herein we report a case series of nine patients without opioid use disorder who presented to two urban emergency departments (EDs) with opioid toxicity after insufflating a substance they believed to be cocaine., Case Reports: Over a period of under three hours, nine patients from five discrete locations were brought to two affiliated urban academic EDs. All patients denied prior illicit opioid use. All patients endorsed insufflating cocaine shortly prior to ED presentation. Soon after exposure, all developed lightheadedness and/or respiratory depression. Seven patients received naloxone en route to the hospital; all had improvement in respiratory function by arrival to the ED. None of the patients required any additional naloxone administration in the ED. All nine patients were discharged home after observation. Blood +/- urine samples were obtained from eight patients. All patients who provided specimens tested positive for cocaine metabolites and had quantifiable IMF concentrations, as well as several detectable fentanyl derivatives, analogues, and synthetic opioid manufacturing intermediates., Discussion: IMF-contamination of illicit drugs remains a public health concern that does not appear to be restricted to heroin. This confirmed outbreak demonstrates that providers should elevate their level of suspicion for concomitant unintentional IMF exposure even in cases of non-opioid drug intoxication. Responsive public health apparatuses must prepare for future IMF-contamination outbreaks., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cocaine use disorders include short-term and acute pathologies (e.g. overdose) and long-term and chronic disorders (e.g. intractable addiction and post-abstinence relapse). There is currently no available treatment that can effectively reduce morbidity and mortality associated with cocaine overdose or that can effectively prevent relapse in recovering addicts. One recently developed approach to treat these problems is the use of enzymes that rapidly break down the active cocaine molecule into inactive metabolites. In particular, rational design and site-directed mutagenesis transformed human serum recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) into a highly efficient cocaine hydrolase with drastically improved catalytic efficiency toward (-)-cocaine. A current drawback preventing the clinical application of this promising enzyme-based therapy is the lack of a cost-effective production strategy that is also flexible enough to rapidly scale-up in response to continuous improvements in enzyme design. Plant-based expression systems provide a unique solution as this platform is designed for fast scalability, low cost and the advantage of performing eukaryotic protein modifications such as glycosylation. A Plant-derived form of the Cocaine Super Hydrolase (A199S/F227A/S287G/A328W/Y332G) we designate PCocSH protects mice from cocaine overdose, counters the lethal effects of acute cocaine overdose, and prevents reinstatement of extinguished drug-seeking behavior in mice that underwent place conditioning with cocaine. These results demonstrate that the novel PCocSH enzyme may well serve as an effective therapeutic for cocaine use disorders in a clinical setting., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest KEL, LK, SB, C-GZ, JN and TSM are listed as inventors in various patents and patent applications relating to various aspects of the presented data. All other authors (RPK, TJ, MB, KS, and JK) declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a central nervous system depressant, primarily used as a recreational drug of abuse and as a therapeutic substance both in U.S.A. and Europe for the treatment of narcolepsy with cataplexy in adult patients and as adjuvant in the control of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Several cases of GHB related deaths have been reported in the literature and GHB was found alone or in association to other drugs of abuse. However, only few biological matrices are often analyzed, therefore data on GHB distribution are lacking. Here we report a case involving a 45-year-old man, who was found dead in his bedroom.

Aims: To examine trends and recent changes in non-fatal and fatal stimulant overdose rates with and without opioids to improve the descriptive characterization of the US overdose epidemic., Design: Secondary analysis of non-fatal (2006-16) and fatal (2006-17) drug overdose trends, focusing on the most recent years of data available to examine rate changes by demographics (2015-16 for non-fatal and 2016-17 for fatal)., Setting: Non-fatal drug overdoses from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Nationwide Emergency Department Sample; drug overdose deaths from the National Vital Statistics System., Participants/cases: International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) and Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification/Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-CM/PCS) codes for cocaine, psychostimulants and opioids were used to classify non-fatal drug overdoses. Drug overdose deaths were identified using ICD-10 multiple cause-of-death codes for cocaine, psychostimulants, all opioids, heroin and synthetic opioids., Measurements: Percentage of changes in age-adjusted non-fatal and fatal rates of cocaine and psychostimulant-involved drug overdose with and without opioids., Findings: Overall, cocaine-involved non-fatal overdose rates with an opioid increased from 2006 to 2016 [annual percentage change (APC) = 14.7], while rates without an opioid increased from 2006 to 2012 (APC = 11.3) and then remained stable (APC = -7.5). Psychostimulant-involved non-fatal rates with and without an opioid increased from 2006 to 2016 (APC = 49.9 with opioids; 13.9 without opioids). Cocaine-involved death rates with and without opioids increased from 2014 to 2017 (APC = 46.0 with opioids, 23.6 without opioids). Psychostimulant-involved death rates with opioids increased from 2010 to 2015 (APC = 28.6), with a dramatic increase from 2015 to 2017 (APC = 50.5), while rates without opioids increased from 2008 to 2017 (APC = 22.6). In 2016, 27% of non-fatal cocaine- and 14% of psychostimulant-involved overdoses included a reported opioid; 72.7% of cocaine- and 50.3% of psychostimulant-involved deaths involved an opioid in 2017. From 2015 to 2016, cocaine-involved and psychostimulant-involved non-fatal overdose rates with an opioid increased 17.0 and 5.9%, respectively; cocaine-involved and psychostimulant-involved non-fatal overdoses without opioids decreased 13.6 and increased 18.9%, respectively. Death rates involving stimulants increased with and without opioids from 2016 to 2017 (cocaine with and without opioids = 37.7 and 23.3%; psychostimulants with and without opioids = 52.2 and 23.0%). Death rates involving stimulants with synthetic opioids increased dramatically from 2016 to 2017 (1.3-2.3 per 100 000 for cocaine and 0.3-0.8 for psychostimulants)., Conclusions: While increases in cocaine-involved deaths in the United States from 2006 seem to be driven by opioids, particularly synthetic opioids, increases in non-fatal and fatal overdoses involving psychostimulants are occurring with and without opioids., (Published 2020. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

Introduction: Due largely to ambiguous or incomplete information provided on death certificates, the widely cited Multiple Cause of Death (MCOD) data reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been shown to undercount the number of fatal overdoses caused by specific drugs. However, the extent of the undercounts is unclear., Methods: We obtained the number of fatal overdoses from 2003 to 2017 in Florida caused by the three drug groups (amphetamines, benzodiazepines, and opioids) and three drugs (methadone, cocaine, and heroin) that we could map across the MCOD data and data reported by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission (FMEC). The FMEC data are based on state-mandated reporting of the causal drugs in overdose deaths. We analyzed the differences across all deaths and by gender, age group, and race., Results: Depending on the drug, the numbers of deaths across all individuals reported in the FMEC data ranged from 19 %-39 % higher than the counts in the MCOD data. The differences varied over time and by some demographic factors., Conclusions: The MCOD data appear to undercount the number of fatal overdoses caused by the drugs we investigated. Our analysis did not identify a cause or pattern to explain the differences. Efforts to improve the reporting of fatal overdoses may enhance our understanding of and subsequently may improve the response to the drug overdose epidemic., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Methemoglobinemia and carbon monoxide poisoning are potentially life-threatening conditions that can present with nonspecific clinical features. This lack of specificity increases the probability of misdiagnosis or avoidable delays in diagnosis and management. These conditions are both treatable with antidotes of methylene blue and oxygen, respectively. Modern blood gas analyzers have the ability to measure carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and methemoglobin (MetHb) levels without any additional resources. However, these results, although readily available from the machine used to perform the analysis, are not fully reported by some hospital clinical laboratories., Case Report: A 49-year-old male presented with shortness of breath and cyanosis after inhaling cocaine via a nasal route ("snorting"). Methemoglobinemia was not initially considered in the differential diagnosis. However, the diagnosis of methemoglobinemia was made once newly routinely reported laboratory results revealed an elevated MetHb level. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Routinely reporting MetHb and COHb levels with arterial and venous blood gas results will facilitate making the diagnoses of these infrequently diagnosed causes of hypoxia more quickly so that early treatment of these uncommon but potentially lethal conditions can be initiated promptly., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cardiac arrest (CA) is a public health problem, with various etiologies and a fatal issue in 90-95% of cases. Toxin-induced cardiac arrests (TICA) are poorly described. Scarcity of national data prompted us to carry-out this study., Aim: To determine TICA frequency in a Tunisian reference center in toxicology and its hospital prognosis, and to describe its clinical and therapeutic aspects Methods : Data were collected retrospectively over an 8-years period. We included patients admitted for post-CA care with highly suspected or confirmed TICA. Clinical and toxicological data were recorded., Results: We recorded 21 cases of TICA, which represented 48.8% of CA. A single toxic agent was incriminated in 90% of cases. Main causative agents identified in our series were pesticides and betablockers: chloralosed (n = 6), carbamate inhibitor of cholinesterase (n = 5), acebutolol (n = 4) and organophosphate (n = 2). One case of opiates and cocaine poisoning was reported. Median duration of "no flow" was 0 minutes. Mean duration of "low flow" was 13.74±9.15 minutes. An initial shockable rhythm was noted only in three patients. Mortality rate was 76% (16/21). Four of the five survivors had a Cerebral Performance Category Scale (CPC) 1, only one patient survived with a CPC 3. Factors associated with mortality were : the duration of "low flow" (p=0.02) and APACHE II score (p=0.014). APACHE II≥29 was the only independent factor (OR=2.0, 95%CI [1.07;3.71])., Conclusion: TICA were most frequently provoked by pesticides, mortality was high and was independently predicted by APACHE II score.

Objective-This report describes regional differences in the specific drugs most frequently involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2017. Methods-Data from the 2017 National Vital Statistics System-Mortality files were linked to electronic files containing literal text information from death certificates. Drug overdose deaths were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision underlying cause-of-death codes X40-X44, X60-X64, X85, and Y10-Y14. Drug mentions were identified using established methods for searching the literal text from death certificates. Deaths were assigned to 1 of 10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regions based on the decedent's state of residence. The number and age-adjusted death rate was determined for the 10 drugs most frequently involved in drug overdose deaths in 2017, both nationally and for each HHS region. Deaths involving more than one drug were counted in all relevant drug categories (i.e., the same death could be counted in more than one drug category). Results-Among drug overdose deaths in 2017 that mentioned at least 1 specific drug on the death certificate, the 10 drugs most frequently involved included fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, alprazolam, oxycodone, morphine, methadone, hydrocodone, and diphenhydramine. Regionally, 6 drugs (alprazolam, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methadone, and oxycodone) were found among the 10 most frequently involved drugs in all 10 HHS regions, although the relative ranking varied by region. Age-adjusted rates of drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl or deaths involving cocaine were higher in the regions east of the Mississippi River, while age-adjusted rates for drug overdose deaths involving methamphetamine were higher in the West. The regional patterns observed did not change after adjustment for differences in the specificity of drug reporting. Conclusions-The drugs most frequently involved in drug overdose deaths in 2017 varied by HHS region. Understanding the regional differences can help inform local prevention and policy efforts., (All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.)

These 2 cases offer insights to faster recognition of a common cause of drug overdose.

In 2016, a total of 63,632 persons died from drug overdoses in the United States (1). Drug overdose deaths involving cocaine, psychostimulants with abuse potential (psychostimulants), or both substances combined increased 42.4% from 12,122 in 2015 to 17,258 in 2016.* Psychostimulants with abuse potential include drugs such as methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), dextroamphetamine, levoamphetamine, methylphenidate (Ritalin), and caffeine. From 2015 to 2016, cocaine-involved and psychostimulant-involved death rates increased 52.4% and 33.3%, respectively (1). A total of 70,237 persons died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2017; approximately two thirds of these deaths involved an opioid (2). CDC analyzed 2016-2017 changes in age-adjusted death rates involving cocaine and psychostimulants by demographic characteristics, urbanization levels, U.S. Census region, 34 states, and the District of Columbia (DC). CDC also examined trends in age-adjusted cocaine-involved and psychostimulant-involved death rates from 2003 to 2017 overall, as well as with and without co-involvement of opioids. Among all 2017 drug overdose deaths, 13,942 (19.8%) involved cocaine, and 10,333 (14.7%) involved psychostimulants. Death rates increased from 2016 to 2017 for both drug categories across demographic characteristics, urbanization levels, Census regions, and states. In 2017, opioids were involved in 72.7% and 50.4% of cocaine-involved and psychostimulant-involved overdoses, respectively, and the data suggest that increases in cocaine-involved overdose deaths from 2012 to 2017 were driven primarily by synthetic opioids. Conversely, increases in psychostimulant-involved deaths from 2010 to 2017 occurred largely independent of opioids, with increased co-involvement of synthetic opioids in recent years. Provisional data from 2018 indicate that deaths involving cocaine and psychostimulants are continuing to increase. † Increases in stimulant-involved deaths are part of a growing polysubstance landscape. Increased surveillance and evidence-based multisectoral prevention and response strategies are needed to address deaths involving cocaine and psychostimulants and opioids. Enhancing linkage to care, building state and local capacity, and public health/public safety collaborations are critical components of prevention efforts., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Background: Cocaine is commonly involved in unintentional drug poisoning (overdose) deaths, accounting for 46% of overdose deaths in New York City (NYC) in 2016. However, little research exists regarding cocaine use by middle-aged and older adults, who are more likely than younger individuals to have underlying cardiovascular disease (CVD) and therefore, may be at increased risk for the adverse health consequences of cocaine., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of unintentional drug overdose deaths of middle-aged and older NYC residents age 45-84 from 2000 to 2016 using two linked sources, NYC death certificates and toxicology results from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner., Results: From 2000 to 2016, there were 6061 unintentional drug overdose deaths among New Yorkers age 45-84. Of those, cocaine was involved in 53% (n = 3183). Co-occurring opioid involvement (fentanyl, heroin, methadone, or opioid analgesics) among deaths involving cocaine was common (58%). Compared to decedents of non-cocaine involved overdose, decedents of cocaine-involved overdose were more likely to be male and non-Latino Black. Multivariable analysis showed that adults age 45-54 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.34, 95% 1.05, 1.70), males (AOR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.15, 1.46), Bronx residence (AOR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.08, 1.54), and non-Latino black race/ethnicity (AOR = 2.37, 95% CI 2.07, 2.72) were independently associated with cocaine-involved overdose., Conclusion: Characteristics of decedents of cocaine-involved overdose overlap with populations with high CVD burden in NYC. Studies are needed to better understand the risks of cocaine among adults with underlying CVD., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Catatonia is a syndrome that can present in different forms and can occur in multiple psychiatric and somatic conditions. This case report describes lethal catatonia caused by delayed toxic leukoencephalopathy after excessive use of cocaine and methadone. The characteristic radiographic imaging and biphasic course are discussed., Case Report: A 54-year-old woman was presented unconsciously at the emergency department after intoxication with methadone and cocaine. After initial recovery, her condition deteriorated unexpectedly, resulting in lethal catatonia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed hyperintense white matter abnormalities and diffusion restriction, evident for leukoencephalopathy., Discussion: Catatonia can develop in multiple psychiatric and somatic diseases, including toxic leukoencephalopathy. A biphasic course and specific MRI findings are characteristics for delayed toxic leukoencephalopathy, due to intoxication with drugs.

Background: Understanding emergency department and healthcare utilisation related to acute recreational drug toxicity (ARDT) generally relies on nationally collated data based on ICD-10 coding. Previous UK studies have shown this poorly captures the true ARDT burden. The aim of this study was to investigate whether this is also the case elsewhere in Europe., Methods: The Euro-DEN Plus database was interrogated for all presentations 1st July to 31st December 2015 to the EDs in (i) St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK; (ii) Universitätsspital Basel, Basel, Switzerland; and (iii) Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark. Comparison of the drug(s) involved in the presentation with the ICD-10 codes applied to those presentations was undertaken to determine the proportion of cases where the primary/subsequent ICD-10 code(s) were ARDT related., Results: There were 619 presentations over the 6-month period. Two hundred thirteen (34.4%) of those presentations were coded; 89.7% had a primary/subsequent ARDT-related ICD-10 code. One hundred percent of presentations to Roskilde had a primary ARDT ICD-10 code compared to 9.6% and 18.9% in Basel and London respectively. Overall, only 8.5% of the coded presentations had codes that captured all of the drugs that were involved in that presentation., Conclusions: While the majority of primary and secondary codes applied related to ARDT, often they did not identify the actual drug(s) involved. This was due to both inconsistencies in the ICD-10 codes applied and lack of ICD-10 codes for the drugs/NPS. Further work and education is needed to improve consistency of use of current ICD-10 and future potential ICD-11 coding systems.

Background: British Columbia is experiencing a public health emergency due to overdoses resulting from consumption of street drugs contaminated with fentanyl. While the risk of overdoses appears to be increasing, the overdose rate and severity of overdose presentations have yet to be quantified., Methods: Insite is a supervised injection site in Vancouver. Data from Insite's client database from January 2010 to June 2017 were used to calculate overdose rates as well as the proportion of overdoses involving rigidity and naloxone administration over time in order to estimate changes in the risk and severity of overdose resulting from changes in the local drug supply., Results: The overdose rate increased significantly for all drug categories. Heroin used alone or with other drugs continues to be associated with the highest overdose rate. The overdose rate associated with heroin increased from 2.7/1000 visits to 13/1000 visits over the study period, meaning that clients were 4.8 times more likely to overdose in the most recent period as in the baseline period. The proportion of overdose events involving rigidity, a known complication of intravenous fentanyl use, increased significantly from 10.4% to 18.9%. The proportion of overdoses requiring naloxone administration increased significantly from 48.4% to 57.1% and is now similar across all drug categories., Conclusions: The risk and severity of overdoses at Insite have increased since the emergence of illicit fentanyl. This information derived from supervised injection site data can be used to inform local harm reduction efforts and the response to the overdose emergency., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

After remaining stable from 2010 to 2014, the  rate of cocaine-involved overdose death increased sharply from 2015 to 2016. This study aims to determine the contribution of opioids, and fentanyl in particular, to the increase in cocaine-involved overdose death from 2015 to 2016. Using New York City death certificate data linked to medical examiner toxicology data, we identified all overdose deaths where post-mortem toxicology results were positive for cocaine from 2010 to 2016. We analyzed cocaine-involved overdose deaths by co-occurring substances. Age-adjusted rates per 100,000 residents were calculated for 6-month intervals from 2010 to 2016. Data suggest that increased deaths involving opioids, specifically fentanyl, accounted for most of the increase in cocaine-involved deaths from 2015 to 2016.

The human body is often used for illegal drug trafficking around the world. This may be done by concealing the drugs inside the body, so-called "body packing". This can lead to life-threatening conditions, mainly by leakage of the illegal substances in lethal amounts into the circulation system, which may cause fatal consequences due to acute drug overdose. Most of these cases present as sudden unexpected deaths. However, we present herein a case in which the death of an unidentified victim, which was notified as a case of seawater drowning in a non-suspicious manner, but later proved to be the death of a body packer as a result of drowning due to a morphine overdose. This case highlights the importance of investigating deaths even in unidentified bodies and the different presentations of fatal consequences of a body packer, which previously have not been described in literature.

Acetyl fentanyl (N-[1-phenethylpiperidin-4-yl]-N-phenylacetamide) is a potent opioid analgesic with no medicinal uses. We report deaths between 2016 and 2017 at the Medical Examiner's Office in Detroit, MI where acetyl fentanyl was found in the decedent's blood and compare them to previously published deaths between 2015 and 2016. The recent cases (cohort B) had a mean acetyl fentanyl concentration of 0.9 ng/mL (range: 0.1-5.3 ng/mL) and an associated higher concentration of fentanyl along with multiple other drugs present. The older cases (cohort A) had higher concentrations of acetyl fentanyl (mean: 8.9 ng/mL; range: 0.28-37 ng/mL) with lower, yet still toxic, concentrations of fentanyl. We conclude that the cause of death in these recent cases was likely multiple drug toxicity with fentanyl and that the consistently observed lower peripheral blood concentrations of acetyl fentanyl are most likely an artifact in the manufacture of the consumed illicit fentanyl., (© 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.)