12 Injection drug users Flashcards
Most Harmful Type of Drug Abuse
Opioids
Higher risk of fatal and non-fatal overdose
Higher risk of infection
Of people who inject illicit drugs, 1.6M are affected with ___ and 6.1M are affected with ___
- HIV 2. HepC
Injection drug users are at risk for?
Infection (HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Kaposi’s sarcoma herpes virus, Tetanus, TB, STD
Trauma
Partner violence
Vaccine for Injection Drug users
HIV and Hep B
Non-treponemal syphilis test
False positive
Coombs test
Positive
Vaccination
Low measured antibody response
Street names
- H
- Skag
- Tar
- Bud light
A patient comes in with fever, tachypnea, tachycardia, abdominal pain, and inflammatory retinal nodules. CXR noted pulmonary granulomata. The companion divulges that the patient has a history of drug abuse. What condition should you suspect?
Cotton Fever
Flulike syndrome hours after injection with drugs suspensions filtered through cotton balls
Type of pneumonia typical in injection drug users
Community acquired
Causes of dyspnea in injection drug users
Aspiration from intoxication
Infection (TB, Pneumonia, etc)
Foreign body
Septic pulmonary emboli, right sided endocarditis
Noninfectious causes of dyspnea in injection drug users
Pulmonary edema, Pneumothorax, Hydrothorax, Toxic reaction to injected substances, Hypersensitivity, Foreign body granulomatosis, Exacerbation, septic emboli, air emboli, needle fragment emboli
What is pocket shooting
Drug users inject into supraclavicular fossa to access:
1. subclavian vein
2. Jugular vein
3. Brachiocephalic vein
high risk for pneumothorax/hemothorax
What is Talc Lung
Syndrome:
1. Progressive respiratory distress
2. Diffuse interstitial infiltrates
due to injection of talc adulterant
Usual presentation of heroin and cocaine injection with hypersensitivity
These patients typically respond with?
Cough and wheezing
inhaled B-agonist therapy
Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema drug user presentation
Dyspnea + Desat
diffuse alveolar infiltrates
Origin of CNS infections in injection drug users
- contiguous spread of overlying soft tissue infection
- Embolic complications of distant infection (endocarditis)
- extension of local infection (vertebral osteomyelitis)
Common Neuro infections in injection drug users
Epidural abscess, bacterial and fungal meningitis
Common causes of bacterial meningitis
- Meningococcus
- Pneumococcus
- S. aureus bacteremia from endocarditis
A patient presents with cranial nerve deficits, altered mental status, and progressive symmetric paralysis. What do you suspect?
Tetanus and botulism
Injection drug user with HIV and CD4 <100/mm3. Give an example of an opportunistic organism that may be present in this patient.
Toxoplasma
Low-flow states during heroin intoxication result to:
Stroke syndromes
Drugs that cause hypertensive hemorrhage
- amphetamines
- phencyclidine
- cocaine
Non-Traumatic focal back pain in febrile or nonfebrile injection drug users usually requires what imaging study?
MRI
Back pain features that suggest infection
Pain that does not resolve when lying down
Severe night time pain
Failure of pain to improve with conservative therapy
All cause mortality is 3x higher among this population if then are injection drug users
HIV +
Characterize endocarditis in injection drug users
Typically right sided (57-86%)
Mostly involve the tricuspid valve (55-94%), then the mitral and aortic valves (20-40%)
Minority (5-14%) involve both sides of the heart
Radiograph finding in injection drug users with infective endocarditis
Multiple opacities on chest radiograph consistent with septic pulmonary emboli (fig 296-1,2)
These findings may also be present in infective endocarditis in injection drug users due to glomerulonephritis from immune complex deposition, embolic renal infarction, perinephric abscess
Pyuria and hematuria
Diagnosis of infective endocarditis requires?
Isolation of microbes in blood culture and or demonstration of typical lesions on echo
Classic findings of embolic phenomena
Janeway lesions
Roth spots
Not usually observed unless infection is advanced
Osler’s nodules are usually not seen with right sided endocarditis
Proper Blood culture collection in infective endocarditis
3 sets from separate sites
at least 1 hr wait between collection of first and last set BEFORE initiation of therapy