PapersFlow Research Brief
Poisoning and overdose treatments
Research Guide
What is Poisoning and overdose treatments?
Poisoning and overdose treatments encompass medical interventions and guidelines for managing toxic exposures, including decontamination methods like activated charcoal, antidotes for specific toxins such as methanol and ethylene glycol, and extracorporeal treatments for severe cases.
This field addresses surveillance systems for toxic exposures, treatment protocols for poisonings like methanol and ethylene glycol, and pharmacological management of substances including bupropion. It examines clinical features, prognostic indicators, and interventions such as activated charcoal and extracorporeal treatments across 77,061 papers. Growth rate over the past five years is not available.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Activated Charcoal in Acute Poisoning Management
Researchers investigate optimal dosing, timing, and efficacy of single-dose and multiple-dose activated charcoal for adsorbing toxins like pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Studies include randomized trials and pharmacokinetic modeling of decontamination.
Extracorporeal Treatments in Poisoning
This sub-topic covers hemodialysis, hemoperfusion, and ECMO for removing toxins like methanol, lithium, and salicylates, with focus on indications, kinetics, and outcomes. EXTRIP guidelines and prospective studies define clinical decision-making.
Methanol and Ethylene Glycol Poisoning Treatment
Studies evaluate fomepizole, ethanol, and dialysis for toxic alcohol metabolization inhibition, including biomarkers, osmolar gaps, and anion gap acidosis management. Research spans case series, animal models, and outbreak analyses.
Calcium Channel Blocker Toxicity Management
Researchers assess high-dose insulin, lipid emulsion, and vasopressor strategies for cardiovascular collapse in CCB overdose. Topics include hemodynamic monitoring, animal efficacy studies, and human case registries.
Toxic Exposure Surveillance Systems
This area develops and validates poison control center data for national surveillance of exposure trends, outbreaks, and intervention impacts. Methodological studies enhance data quality, underreporting correction, and predictive modeling.
Why It Matters
Poisoning and overdose treatments directly impact emergency care by mitigating outcomes in acute liver failure from acetaminophen, where Larson et al. (2005) analyzed 662 patients across 22 U.S. centers and found acetaminophen caused 46% of acute liver failure cases, with 73% requiring transplantation or resulting in death without it. Rudd et al. (2016) reported 47,055 U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2014, 60.9% opioid-involved, highlighting the need for effective opioid reversal and supportive care. Scholl et al. (2018) documented 63,632 overdose deaths in 2016, a 21.4% rise from 2015, with two-thirds opioid-related, underscoring surveillance and treatment advancements in reducing mortality from synthetic opioids.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"A Syndrome produced by Diverse Nocuous Agents" by Hans Selye (1936) provides foundational insights into stress responses from nocuous agents, serving as an entry point to understand diverse toxicological mechanisms before advancing to specific treatments.
Key Papers Explained
Selye (1936) "A Syndrome produced by Diverse Nocuous Agents" establishes general stress from toxins, which Benyamin (2008) "Opioid Complications and Side Effects" builds on by detailing opioid-specific risks in chronic use. Rudd et al. (2016) "Increases in Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States, 2010–2015" and Scholl et al. (2018) "Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States, 2013–2017" extend epidemiology to overdose trends. Larson et al. (2005) "Acetaminophen‐induced acute liver failure" and Lee (2003) "Drug-Induced Hepatotoxicity" connect to hepatic outcomes in poisoning.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Focus shifts to specific toxicities like ethylene glycol and aluminium phosphide poisonings, with ongoing needs in extracorporeal treatments per Ronco et al. (2000) "Effects of different doses in continuous veno-venous haemofiltration on outcomes of acute renal failure: a prospective randomised trial." No recent preprints available.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Syndrome produced by Diverse Nocuous Agents | 1936 | Nature | 3.8K | ✓ |
| 2 | Increases in Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United... | 2016 | MMWR Morbidity and Mor... | 2.2K | ✓ |
| 3 | Opioid Complications and Side Effects | 2008 | Pain Physician | 2.2K | ✕ |
| 4 | Cannabinoids for Medical Use | 2015 | JAMA | 2.0K | ✓ |
| 5 | Acetaminophen‐induced acute liver failure | 2005 | Hepatology | 1.9K | ✕ |
| 6 | Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States, 2013... | 2018 | MMWR Morbidity and Mor... | 1.7K | ✓ |
| 7 | Effects of different doses in continuous veno-venous haemofilt... | 2000 | The Lancet | 1.6K | ✕ |
| 8 | Drug-Induced Hepatotoxicity | 2003 | New England Journal of... | 1.6K | ✕ |
| 9 | ACETAMINOPHEN-INDUCED HEPATIC NECROSIS. I. ROLE OF DRUG METABO... | 1973 | Journal of Pharmacolog... | 1.5K | ✕ |
| 10 | Acute kidney injury | 2021 | Nature Reviews Disease... | 1.5K | ✕ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What role does acetaminophen play in acute liver failure?
Acetaminophen induces severe hepatotoxicity leading to acute liver failure, accounting for 46% of cases in a study of 662 patients at 22 U.S. centers. Larson et al. (2005) found 73% of these patients required liver transplantation or died. "Acetaminophen‐induced acute liver failure" (2005) details risk factors and outcomes.
How have opioid overdose deaths trended in the United States?
Drug overdose deaths reached 47,055 in 2014, with 60.9% involving opioids, nearly tripling from 1999-2014. Rudd et al. (2016) noted illicit opioids driving increases. By 2016, deaths hit 63,632, up 21.4% from 2015, two-thirds opioid-related per Scholl et al. (2018).
What are common interventions for poisoning management?
Activated charcoal serves as a decontamination agent, while extracorporeal treatments address severe toxicities like ethylene glycol poisoning. Guidelines cover methanol and calcium channel blocker overdoses. The field includes surveillance via Poison Control Centers.
What contributes to drug-induced hepatotoxicity?
Drug-induced hepatic injury causes over 50% of acute liver failure cases in the U.S., with more than 75% of idiosyncratic reactions leading to transplantation or death. Lee (2003) reviews pathogenesis and common drugs. "Drug-Induced Hepatotoxicity" (2003) discusses adverse effects.
How does opioid use relate to chronic pain treatment complications?
Opioids prescribed for chronic noncancer pain carry risks of complications and side effects. Benyamin (2008) examines their role despite controversy. "Opioid Complications and Side Effects" (2008) covers binding to receptors for pain management.
What is the current state of poisoning epidemiology?
Epidemiology tracks pediatric pharmaceutical poisonings, aluminium phosphide cases, and bupropion pharmacology. The cluster spans 77,061 works on toxic exposure surveillance. No recent preprints or news coverage available in the last 12 months.
Open Research Questions
- ? How can early prognostic signs improve outcomes in methanol and ethylene glycol poisonings?
- ? What optimal dosing strategies exist for extracorporeal treatments in calcium channel blocker toxicity?
- ? Which surveillance improvements are needed for emerging synthetic opioid overdoses?
- ? How do pharmacological factors in bupropion overdoses affect treatment efficacy?
- ? What refinements are required in activated charcoal use for pediatric pharmaceutical poisonings?
Recent Trends
Opioid overdose deaths rose to 63,632 in 2016, a 21.4% increase from 2015, with synthetic opioids showing the largest growth, as reported by Scholl et al.
2018Earlier, 28,647 of 47,055 deaths in 2014 involved opioids (60.9%), per Rudd et al.
2016No preprints or news in the last 6-12 months; field spans 77,061 papers.
Research Poisoning and overdose treatments with AI
PapersFlow provides specialized AI tools for Medicine researchers. Here are the most relevant for this topic:
Systematic Review
AI-powered evidence synthesis with documented search strategies
AI Literature Review
Automate paper discovery and synthesis across 474M+ papers
Find Disagreement
Discover conflicting findings and counter-evidence
Paper Summarizer
Get structured summaries of any paper in seconds
See how researchers in Health & Medicine use PapersFlow
Field-specific workflows, example queries, and use cases.
Start Researching Poisoning and overdose treatments with AI
Search 474M+ papers, run AI-powered literature reviews, and write with integrated citations — all in one workspace.
See how PapersFlow works for Medicine researchers