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26 - Drug overdosein pregnancy

from Section 5 - Medical and Surgical Emergencies during Pregnancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2012

By
Lakshman Karalliedde  and
Inidika Gawarammana
Edited by
Edwin Chandraharan  and
Sabaratnam Arulkumaran
Edwin Chandraharan
Affiliation:
St George’s University of London
Sabaratnam Arulkumaran
Affiliation:
St George’s University of London
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Summary

Physiological changes in pregnancy may be associated with changes in pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics following overdose. Drug overdose should be treated as a medical emergency. Some drug overdoses should be treated using specific antidotes. Self-poisoning with aspirin can be treated by a dose of activated charcoal. Gastric decontamination with activated charcoal should be carried out when a patient presents within 1 hour of ingestion following digoxin poisoning. Calcium channel blockers are used in the treatment of hypertension, angina and arrhythmias. Hypotension should initially be treated with intravenous fluids. Beta-blockers are widely used antihypertensive and anti-angina agents, and poisoning resulting from this is treated with glucagon. Patients who ingest less than 30mg/kg body weight elemental iron require assessment and treatment. An abdominal X-ray should be performed following ingestion of a potentially toxic dose to determine the need for gut decontamination. Some drugs may be effectively removed by haemodialysis.
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Obstetric and Intrapartum Emergencies
A Practical Guide to Management
 , pp. 176 - 184
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

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