J-LSMS 2018 | Archive | Issues 1 to 4

JOURNAL OF THE LOUISIANA STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY

RESULTS

not that of the hospital which they were transported to.

The final data for each study were analyzed to determine the total number and proportion of each drug class involved in accidental fatal overdoses, the distribution of accidental fatal overdoses by race, age, and gender, and the distribution of fatal accidental overdoses by ZIP code.

From 2013-2016 there were 296 total overdoses, with 137 overdoses involvingheroinand159not involvingheroin.Opiates, including heroin and fentanyl, played a role in the overwhelming majority of cases. Benzodiazepines were the second most prevalent class of drug, and were found in 134 overdoses, nearly the exact same amount as heroin. Cocaine appeared in 80 overdoses, amphetamines andmethamphetamines contributed to 65 overdoses, and antidepressants were present in 29 (Tables 1 & 2).

Table 1: Number of fatal accidental overdoses each drug occurred in by year from 2013-2016 in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Drug

Year

Benzodiazepines

Cocaine

Amphetamines

Opioids

Other

Antidepressants

Fentanyl

17

5

11

13

1

2013

49

34

35

6

1

1

2014

15

7

52

42

19

23

24

11

6

2015

70

24

30

30

19

4

17

2016

70

Total Instances

241

135

81

65

60

29

25

Table 2: Number of Overdoses

Heroin Present

Year

No Heroin Present Annual Combined Total

62

2013

35

27

64

2014

27

37

40

81

2015

41

34

55

89

2016

Total

137

157

296

Table 2: Yearly totals of fatal accidental heroin and non-heroin involved overdoses from 2013-2016 in East Baton Rouge Parish.

J La State Med Soc VOL 170 JULY/AUG 2018 103

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