About 1 in 10 people admitted to a Pennsylvania hospital for opioid use disorder suffered an overdose in 2017.
Carbon County saw 716 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, compared to the state average of 346 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, which make it Pennsylvania’s highest opioid-related hospitalization rate.
About 20 percent of patients were admitted for mental health problems, 8 percent were admitted for other substance use disorders, and 15 percent were admitted for sepsis and skin infections due to injecting drugs.
“We have to remember to treat all conditions simultaneously and effectively,” Thomas Nappe, MD, director of medical toxicology at Bethlehem, Penn.-based St. Luke’s University Health Network, told The Morning Call.
More articles on opioids:
2 Advocate hospitals give naloxone kits to overdose patients upon discharge
77% of surgical patients expect opioids, survey finds
$800K grant awarded to Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University for 1st peer-based addiction intervention study
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