A Solution to Everyone’s Problems

Can’t get pain meds after KASPER exposed your nasty habit, so you turned to your old friend heroin? Or you can still get your pain meds, just haven’t learned when enough is enough? Is the fear of stopping breathing really putting a damper on your narcotic addiction? Have no fear, Evzio is here.

This is old news as it was FDA approved in April, and my friend from NY says it is already being used there, but I hadn’t heard anyone talking about it. Evzio is similar to an EpiPen, but delivers a single dose of 0.4mg of naloxone instead. Once it is turned on, it gives verbal instructions in how to use it. It is now available by prescription only.

Has anyone written a prescription for this, or do you see yourself doing so in the near future? Obs your heroin addictions, give them a prescription, and out the door? Not sure how much it costs, but I saw one report that it may cost as much as $500. Goodrx.com lists the price as $591 for one kit of 2 autoinjectors, with a coupon.

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm391465.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/health/fda-approves-portable-drug-overdose-treatment.html

FOAMed

Nice little post from Lauren Westafer, who just finished medical school and is fairly well known amongst FOAMers (FOAMeders?). Reminds us to be tentative about accepting everything we read on the internet.

She apparently gave a SMACC talk which is a pretty big deal. I was linked to her post on the Life in the Fast Lane weekly review, which I consider pretty much the best roundup of FOAMed on the web.

AvR

Hey guys a long but important post from Steve Smith on AvR ST elevation in setting of ACS, STEMI.

His main point in posting is to emphasize the point that STE in AvR is concerning for Left Main Disease, but NOT SPECIFICALLY Left Main OCCLUSION.

This highlights a consistent theme on Smith’s blog which is our role in differentiating the patients who HAVE ACUTE OCCLUSION, ie STEMI or STEMI equivalent. These patients need emergent cath where others might be best treated medically prior to pulling the trigger for cath lab.