2023-09-05 09:03:55
Just in time for International Overdose Prevention Day, researchers have released a new study that shows promising results from an overdose prevention program in San Francisco and the use of oxygen as part of that work. .
Published this week in the International Journal of Drug Policy, thestudy focuses on the methods and results of the Tenderloin Center, a drop-in center that operated for nearly a year in San Francisco and whose services included an overdose prevention site. Overall, these results look extremely promising.
The study focused on how “usual” methods of overdose prevention plus a few somewhat new methods were applied over 46 weeks at the Tenderloin Center in San Francisco, which opened in early 2022 and closed in December of the same year.
During that time, researchers found that all 333 overdoses that occurred there were detected and reversed, saving 333 lives. This finding aligns with data we have from hundreds of overdose prevention sites operating around the world today, lead author Dr. Leslie Suen said in a telephone interview.
In many cases, says Ms. Suen, health workers have even been able to intervene earlier in cases of apparent overdose through the use of oxygen and oxygen monitoring tools, which which may have led to a modest reduction in the use of naloxone (an opioid overdose reversal drug, often known by the brand name Narcan) in these cases.
For this study, titled « Evaluating oxygen monitoring and administration during overdose responses at a sanctioned overdose prevention site in San Francisco, California : A mixed-methods study », Suen and her co-authors were able to track patient outcomes using both quantitative and qualitative means, and comparing outcomes over two time periods: the early months of winter 2022, when naloxone and CPR were the only tools used for overdose response, and the months beginning in the spring when pulse oximeters and oxygen administration were added to the toolkit.
“Previously, naloxone was used in 98% of overdose interventions. This proportion fell to 66% following the introduction of oxygen, although the average number of interventions increased from 5 to 9 per week, perhaps because the personnel might intervene earlier with oxygen, before the overdose becomes more serious. »
“Saving a person’s life is always the number one priority, and naloxone and chest compressions are sometimes necessary to save a life. But the use of naloxone, chest compressions and artificial respiration is a very traumatic reaction for a patient who has suffered an opioid overdose,” notes Dr. Suen. Compressions can cause bruising, for example, and the side effect of naloxone, which sends the person into a strong craving, is that they “immediately become very, very sick”, she explained.
“But the numbers show that oxygen is a useful tool. Interviews also suggest that he contributed to the overall experience. »
“If you have more medical tools to respond to an overdose, if you have oxygen monitoring, if you’re able to administer oxygen, it’s not You don’t have to wait until the person’s overdose is too bad to help. »
An overdose, ultimately, is the brain stopping breathing. You can almost breathe for someone by giving them oxygen, opening up their airways and making sure the oxygen gets into their body.
Ms. Suen also referenced a recent Los Angeles Times article describing how street crews are using portable oxygen to respond to overdoses in other parts of the state.
Dr. Suen, a clinician and researcher, said that although the intervention at the Tenderloin Center was relatively brief, patient feedback and data collected suggests its impact was good.
Article translated from Forbes US – Author: Janet Burns
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