Clinical characteristics and time trends of hospitalized methadone exposures in the United States based on the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) case registry: 2010–2017

Abstract

Background: Methadone is well known for its long duration of action and propensity for mortality after an overdose. The present research was aimed at evaluating the clinical manifestations and time trends of methadone exposure in patients in US hospitals. Methods: We queried the American College of Medical Toxicology's Toxicology Investigators Consortium case registry for all cases of methadone exposure between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2017. The collected information included demographic features, clinical presentations, therapeutic interventions, poisoning type (acute, chronic, or acute on chronic), and the reason(s) for exposure. Descriptive data and relative frequencies were used to investigate the participants' characteristics. Our data analysis was performed using SPSS version 19 and Prism software. The trends and clinical manifestations of methadone poisoning over the time period of the study were specifically investigated. Results: Nine hundred and seventy-three patients who met our inclusion criteria, with a mean age of 41.9 ± 16.6 years (range: 11 months-78 years) were analyzed. Five hundred eighty-two (60.2%) were male. The highest rate of methadone poisoning was observed in 2013. There was an increasing rate of methadone exposures in 2010-2013, followed by a decline in 2014-2017. The most common clinical manifestations in methadone-poisoned patients were coma (48.6%) and respiratory depression (33.6%). The in-hospital mortality rate of methadone poisoning was 1.4%. Conclusion: ToxIC Registry data showed that inpatient methadone exposures enhanced from 2010 to 2013, after which a reduction occurred in the years 2014 to 2017.

The trend of top five types of poisonings in hospitalized patients based on ICD‐10 in the northeast of Iran during 2012–2018: A cross‐sectional study

“…20,25,27,32 The findings of the present study showed that poisoning by narcotics such as Opium (T40.0) and Methadone (T40.3) was common in men and some studies have been conducted in this regard that confirms this. 33,34 In Iran, morbidity, and mortality due to poisoning are more common in men due to easy access to medicine and drugs as well as their abuse. 4 A common cause of mortality in men was poisoning by narcotics, such as Opium (T40.0).…”