Citation

Merchant RC, Schwartzapfel BL, Wolf FA, Li W, Carlson L, Rich JD. Subst. Use Misuse 2006; 41(9): 1209-1226.

Affiliation

Division of Infectious Diseases, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI 02903, USA. rmerchant@lifespan.org

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10826080600751898

PMID

16861173

Abstract

We examine ambulance runs for suspected opiate overdose from 1997 to 2002 using a Rhode Island Department of Health database. Of the 8,763 ambulance runs for overdoses, 18.6% were for suspected opiate overdoses. Most cases were males under age 54. Suspected opiate overdoses were more likely to occur in a private residence, were more frequent on Fridays and Saturdays, and peaked in incidence around 9:00 p.m. The incidence rate of suspected opiate overdose by year was similar. The study results may help identify areas for preventive intervention and demonstrate the limitation of using naloxone as a marker of opiate overdose events.

Language: en