@article{ref1,
title="Complications of Oral Exposure to Fentanyl Transdermal Delivery System Patches",
journal="Journal of medical toxicology",
year="2010",
author="Prosser, Jane M. and Jones, Brent E. and Nelson, Lewis",
volume="6",
number="4",
pages="443-447",
abstract="PURPOSE Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid available therapeutically as an intravenous, transbucal, or transdermal preparation. It is also used as a drug of abuse through a variety of different methods, including the oral abuse of transdermal fentanyl patches. This is a series of patients with oral fentanyl patch exposure reported to our center and represents the first series of oral fentanyl patch exposures collected outside of the postmortem setting. <br><br>METHODS In this series, we examined the New York Poison Control Center database for all cases of oral abuse of fentanyl reported between January 2000 and April 2008. <br><br>RESULTS Twenty cases were reported, nine were asymptomatic or had symptoms of opioid withdrawal; 11 had symptoms of opioid intoxication. Eight patients were administered naloxone and all showed improvement in clinical status. Only one case resulted in a confirmed fatality--this patient had an orally adherent patch discovered at intubation. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS Oral exposure may result in life-threatening toxicity. Patients should be closely assessed and monitored for the opioid toxidrome, and if symptomatic, should be managed with opioid antagonists and ventilatory support.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1556-9039",
doi="10.1007/s13181-010-0092-8",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13181-010-0092-8"
}