Cocaine Toxicity

Excerpt

Cocaine abuse is a major worldwide health problem. Patients with acute cocaine toxicity presenting to the emergency department (ED) may require urgent treatment for tachycardia, dysrhythmia, hypertension, and coronary vasospasm, leading to pathological sequelae such as acute coronary syndrome, stroke, and death.

Over the past few decades, body packers have also presented to the emergency department following bag ruptures. The other problem is that many patients have also ingested other illicit agents, including alcohol, which makes management difficult. While cocaine can adversely affect every organ in the body, its most lethal effects are on the cardiovascular system.