Sympathomimetic Toxicity Follow-up

  • Author: Paul Kolecki, MD, FACEP; Chief Editor: Asim Tarabar, MD   more...
 
Updated: Sep 21, 2011
 

Further Inpatient Care

Excluding long-acting preparations, patients with sympathomimetic toxicity who remain asymptomatic after 6 hours postingestion may be medically discharged.

Patients with ingestion of long-acting preparations typically should be monitored for 24 hours. Most of these patients are admitted to a telemetry floor or an intensive care unit.

Consider psychiatric evaluation before discharging patients from the hospital.

If inpatient care is required, it should be under the direction of a medical toxicologist or a physician with expertise in critical care.

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Inpatient & Outpatient Medications

Benzodiazepines remain the initial agent of choice to treat sympathomimetic-induced tachycardia, agitation, seizures, hypertension, and hyperthermia.

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Complications

Lethal complications of sympathomimetic toxicity include hyperthermia, hypertension emergency, cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, CNS disasters, and thoracic and mesenteric vascular disasters.

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Prognosis

Patients who present with hyperthermia and cardiovascular collapse have poor long-term prognosis.

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Patient Education

For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Sleep Disorders Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education article Narcolepsy.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Paul Kolecki, MD, FACEP  Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Director of Undergraduate Emergency Medicine Student Education, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, Consultant, Philadelphia Poison Control Center, Philadelphia, PA

Paul Kolecki, MD, FACEP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha and American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Mark S Slabinski, MD, FACEP, FAAEM  Vice President, EMP Medical Group

Mark S Slabinski, MD, FACEP, FAAEM is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, and Ohio State Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John T VanDeVoort, PharmD  Regional Director of Pharmacy, Sacred Heart and St Joseph's Hospitals

John T VanDeVoort, PharmD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Fred Harchelroad, MD, FACMT, FAAEM, FACEP  Director of Medical Toxicology, Allegheny General Hospital

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Asim Tarabar, MD  Assistant Professor, Director, Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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