For Those Addicted To Opioids, Injuries Often Go Far Beyond Drugs Themselves
"I would say at least 75 percent, every three of four patients who comes in after an overdose has some sort of associated injury, whether it’s a minor injury or major injury from that overdose," says Dr. Ali Raja, the vice chair of emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
WBUR:
In Between Life And Death, Opioid Use Can Cause Dozens Of Injuries
Many people assume that patients addicted to heroin or other opioids either survive a high or die — but that there's no real damage to those who get up and walk away. Most emergency room doctors will tell you that's not the case... The trauma ranges from frostbite or broken bones after a fall on the ice to serious brain damage. (Bebinger, 3/17)
In other news on the crisis —
The Washington Post:
Drugs Are Killing So Many People In Ohio That Cold-Storage Trailers Are Being Used As Morgues
By about 3 p.m. Friday, a county morgue in east Ohio was already full — and more bodies were expected. Rick Walters, an investigator for the Stark County coroner's office, had just left for two death scenes: a suicide and an overdose. From the road, he called the director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency to ask for help. He needed more space, he explained — specifically, a cold-storage trailer to act as an overflow morgue. (Phillips, 3/16)
