GHB is also called as “liquid ecstasy,” this cheaper club drug can be most dangerous when mixed with alcohol. Here’s how to support a patient who’s overdosed. ara Walters, 23, is brought to your emergency department (ED) after she collapsed at a nightclub. The paramedics report that when they arrived on the scene, Ms. Walters was unconscious and her vital signs were: BP 118/64; pulse, 64; respirations, 10; and temperature, 950 F (350 C)-mildly hypothermic. Although the paramedics gave her 4 mg of intravenous (LV) naloxone during transport, she’s still unresponsive, indicating that a narcotic overdose isn’t a factor. Her friends told the paramedics that Ms. Walters had been drinking alcohol and something called liquid X, which you recognize as a street name for gammahydroxybutyrate (GHB), also called liquid ecstasy. Like the street drug known as ecstasy, an amphetamine, GHB enhances sensitivity to touch and reduces inhibitions. Her pupils are 4 mm and brisk to react, and her gag reflex is severely depressed. She’s intubated to protect her airway You start a second IN line and obtain specimens for a complete blood cell (CBC) count, electrolytes, blood glucose level, blood urea nitrogen level, blood alcohol level, thyroid stimu lating hormone, serum creatine kinase, and urine drug screen. Start an infusion of 0.9% sodium chloride solution with 100 mg of thiamine (because alcohol depletes thiamine stores). Lab results reflect an alcohol...
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