@article{ref1,
title="Shedding new light on the "safe" club drug: methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy)-related fatalities",
journal="Academic emergency medicine",
year="2004",
author="Patel, Manish M. and Wright, David W. and Ratcliff, Jonathan J. and Miller, Michael A.",
volume="11",
number="2",
pages="208-210",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: To report the pathology, toxicology, cause, and manner of death in 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-associated fatalities in the United States. Although use trends are increasing, data regarding the hazards of MDMA are limited. METHODS: The authors obtained fatality reports from participating medical examiners in the United States. Cases were identified as &quot;drug-unrelated&quot; when MDMA did not directly cause death (e.g., motor vehicle collision); deaths from drug toxicity were judged &quot;drug-related.&quot; RESULTS: Thirty-eight (8%) of the surveyed medical examiners reported 102 deaths associated with MDMA use from 1999 to 2001. Ten percent of fatalities occurred in 1999 and 90% thereafter, representing a 400% relative increase. Victims tended to be young (mean age = 25), white (n = 87 [85%]), male (n = 70 [69%]), and otherwise healthy. Seventy-one (70%) deaths were drug-related (DR) and 31 (30%) were drug-unrelated (DU). Twenty-four (35%) DR deaths had a mean delay of 6.7 hours (95% CI = 5.1 to 8.2) in activating emergency medical services. Fifty-five DR cases (81%) were found in asystole and pronounced dead at the scene. CONCLUSIONS: The MDMA-associated fatal events typically occur in young, otherwise healthy individuals. MDMA's impact on the public health and safety of young adults and teenagers needs further assessment.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1069-6563",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}