Poison fears after survey reveals a lack of antidotes

Health Correspondent

Thursday 9 August 2012

PEOPLE poisoned in Scotland could face a deadly wait for an antidote, experts warned today after a survey revealed some hospitals do not stock all the recommended treatments.

Custom byline text:

Helen Puttick Health Correspondent

Gaps in the availability of the best drugs to counter the effects of cyanide poisoning, which can result from inhaling toxic smoke in house fires, is one of the key concerns highlighted by the researchers.

Access to antidotes to toxic alcohol, such as antifreeze and methanol, also varies across the country, according to the picture painted by staff at the National Poisons Information Service in Edinburgh and Newcastle.Dr Jean Turner, director of the Scotland Patients' Association, said: "Thank goodness for this survey. It has got to be acted on before there is a tragedy. You can only get away with a situation like this for so long, until something terrible happens. Then you wish more attention had been paid."Guidelines advising hospitals across the UK which antidotes to stock were issued in 2008. In a bid to discover if they were being followed a survey was dispatched and most hospitals in Scotland responded.The results, published in the Emergency Medicine Journal, show antidotes to counter the most common poisonings such as paracetamol, valium and heroin overdoses are available across the country.However, the safest antidote to cyanide poisoning, was stocked in only six out of 34 Scottish hospitals. The easiest-to-use antidote to toxic alcohol poisoning, which can result from drinking bootleg booze, was stocked in just four hospitals.Dr Ruben Thanacoody, consultant toxicologist and lead author of the study, said: "It is disappointing that, despite having guidance in place now for a number of years, there is not really a large improvement in the stocking of antidotes and availability remains very variable. There is not major alarm, but there is certainly a big room for improvement."In the worst-case scenario, he admitted, hospitals may not be able to fetch an antidote from elsewhere in time to save a patient.The researchers are calling for hospitals to make sure they at least have arrangements in place to get hold of the drugs rapidly from a neighbouring A&E unit. Professor Nick Bateman, professor of clinical toxicology at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and co-author of the study, said while cyanide and toxic alcohol poisoning were not common, the outcomes for patients were serious.Without rapid administration of an antidote, those who have inhaled cyanide will die and those poisoned by toxic alcohol could also face blindness, kidney failure and death.Mr Bateman added: "Some of these antidotes are quite expensive, so for all hospitals to hold them – only not to use them – becomes quite pricey. You might say, in Scotland put them in the north, south, east and west, but that does not seem to be something that is deliverable under the present systems."He said hospitals should have strategies for getting hold of the antidotes when they were required, but added: "It is quite clear that they do not always have that."A Scottish Government spokesman said: "It is effective practice for hospitals to decide what medicines they stock locally including those antidotes used to treat emergency poisoning. This is normally based on historical use. "The local stocks are augmented by a robust communication network and a rare medicines list, which advises where these more unusual products can be accessed as and when required. "In addition, a supply of products are held strategically across the NHS in Scotland – this includes the treatments for insecticide and cyanide poisoning."

Contextual targeting label:

Block list

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Poison fears after survey reveals a lack of antidotes

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED