Emerging Drugs Network of Australia: a toxicosurveillance system of illicit and emerging drugs in the Emergency Department

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Illicit Drug Use; Novel Psychoactive Substances use; Drug-related harms; Emergency medicine - Other emergency care; Public Health - Epidemiology; Public Health - Health promotion/education; Public Health - Health service research; Public Health - Other public health; Injuries and Accidents - Poisoning; Mental Health - Addiction

• Registration Number: ACTRN12621001234808
• Lead Sponsor: Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2021-09-13
• Last Update Posted: 12 August 2024

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 5000

Inclusion Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:
Clinical features of severe illicit drug intoxication include:

1. Stimulant toxicity (sympathomimetic, serotonergic or anticholinergic toxicity)
- Patients requiring intravenous sedation for manifestations of toxicity;
- Patients with illness critical enough to require ICU level care.

2. Hallucinogenic toxicity
- Patients requiring intravenous sedation for manifestations of toxicity;
- Patients with illness critical enough to require ICU level care.

3. Opioid toxicity
- Patients requiring a large initial dose of naloxone (e.g. >400microgram in first hour);
- Patients requiring multiple repeat doses or an infusion of naloxone;
- Patients with illness critical enough to require ICU level care.

4. Other
Additional suggestive features of drug toxicity will be sought to determine eligibility, including reports of recreational drug use by the patient or collaterals (i.e. family, friends, witnesses, police, ambulance), presentation from a public event (e.g. festival or concert) and/or multiple patients from the same location presenting with similar clinical features.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Patients with clinically mild drug toxicity, or where intravenous access is not required;

2. Patients presenting with agitation that is considered by the clinician to be predominantly related to methamphetamine-induced psychosis, without significant physiologic manifestations suggestive of acute drug intoxication;

3. Patients under the age of 16 years.

Study & Design

• Study Type: Observational
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Type of novel psychoactive substance(s) detected in patient blood sample.[ Blood sample collected as soon as possible after arrival at the emergency department.];Type of illicit drug(s) detected in patient blood sample.[ Blood sample collected as soon as possible after arrival at the emergency department.]