Frequency of fatal and non-fatal overdoses and response to grief and loss among people who inject drugs: An unexplored dimension of the opioid overdose crisis.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the relationship between overdose events and grief and loss responses among people who inject drugs. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, tablet-based survey with a convenience sample of people who inject drugs (n = 249) from four community-based harm reduction programs in Toronto in 2019. We examined the association between frequency and types of overdose events (own, witnessed, death of significant person) in the last 6 months with grief and loss responses, identified using latent class analysis. RESULTS: Among respondents, 70 (48.6 %) reported 2 or more personal overdoses, 173 (79.5 %) witnessed 2 or more overdoses, and 69 (41.4 %) experienced overdose deaths of 2 or more significant persons in the last 6 months. We identified 2 latent classes with probability of membership of 38.6 % (95 % confidence interval [CI]=31.0, 46.7) for medium/low intensity of responses to grief/loss and 61.4 % (95 % CI= 53.3, 69.0) for severe responses to grief/loss. In adjusted Poisson regression models with robust standard error estimators, severe responses to grief/loss were associated with exposure to two or more own overdoses (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.44; 95 % CI=1.12, 1.84, p-value=0.004), and having witnessed one (PR=2.09; 95 % CI=1.05, 4.15, p-value=0.04) or witnessed two or more overdoses (PR=2.25; 95 % CI=1.24, 4.09, p-value=0.008). Severe grief/loss responses were also more common in individuals exposed to all three types of overdose events (PR=2.42; 95 % CI=1.08, 5.41, p-value=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Cumulative overdose events were associated with severe responses to grief and loss. Bereavement interventions should consider the complex nature of grief and loss following overdoses.

Symptoms and electrocardiographically documented rhythm preceding spontaneous shocks in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

During a follow-up of 24 +/- 20 months after treatment with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), 101 of 241 patients (42%) received > or = 1 spontaneous ICD shocks with documentation of the rhythm leading to shock by Holter or telemetry monitoring or stored electrograms by the device. Sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) was documented in 67 of the 101 patients (66%) with electrocardiographically documented shocks, nonsustained VT in 4 patients (4%), supraventricular tachyarrhythmias in 41 patients (41%), and normal sinus or pacemaker rhythm in 10 patients (10%). No, mild (palpitations and/or mild dizziness) and severe symptoms (presyncope/syncope) preceded spontaneous ICD shocks in 20 (30%), 33 (49%) and 27 (42%) of the 67 patients, respectively, with electrocardiographically documented VT or VF, and in 23 (56%), 16 (39%) and 1 (2%) of the 41 patients, respectively, with electrocardiographically documented supraventricular tachyarrhythmias. Three of the 4 patients with nonsustained VT had mild symptoms, and 1 patient with nonsustained VT had presyncope. None of the 10 patients with spurious discharges during normal sinus or pacemaker rhythm had symptoms preceding the ICD shocks. It is concluded that (1) most patients with either electrocardiographically documented VT/VF or a non-VT/VF rhythm preceding spontaneous ICD shocks have no or mild symptoms preceding the shock, and (2) severe symptoms preceding ICD shocks suggest sustained VT or VF as the underlying rhythm, although severe symptoms rarely occur in patients with supraventricular tachyarrhythmias or nonsustained VT.

Complications of implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy: follow-up of 241 patients.

In order to determine the incidence of complications of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy, 241 patients with a total of 353 ICD implantations were followed for 24 +/- 20 months. Complications were defined as any untoward effects experienced by the patient related to the ICD implantation and function or death within 4 weeks of implant or before hospital discharge. During follow-up, 129 of 241 patients (53%) had a total of 166 complications. An operative procedure was required to correct the complication in 50 of the 241 patients (21%). No patient died intraoperatively, but eight patients died within 4 weeks postoperatively or before hospital discharge. ICD infection required removal of the device in 13 patients (5%). Twenty-six patients (11%) had postoperative respiratory complications. Postoperative bleeding and/or thrombosis occurred in 11 patients (4%). Endocardial lead migration was observed in nine patients (4%) and lead adapter or insulation break occurred in nine patients (4%). Fifty-four patients (22%) experienced ECG-documented discharges for non-VT rhythm. In conclusion, although perioperative mortality in ICD patients is low, the majority of patients have complications during follow-up. Recognition of these complications may allow for advances in ICD technology and management strategies to avoid their occurrence.

Electrocardiographically documented unnecessary, spontaneous shocks in 241 patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

The incidence and cause of electrocardiographically documented spontaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) discharges for a rhythm other than ventricular tachycardia (VT) or fibrillation (VF) (unnecessary shocks) were determined in 241 patients who underwent ICD implantation between March 1983 and November 1991. During follow-up of 24 +/- 20 months, 54 of 241 patients (22%) received a total of 132 unnecessary ICD shocks confirmed by Holter or telemetry monitoring or stored electrograms (Egs) from the ICD. The rhythm preceding these unnecessary ICD shocks was atrial fibrillation in 30 patients, sinus or supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in 11 patients, antitachycardia pacing triggered by atrial fibrillation or SVT resulting in VT in 5 patients, nonsustained VT in 3 patients, and normal sinus or pacemaker rhythm in 10 patients. Unnecessary ICD discharges occurred most frequently during the first week after implantation or generator replacement (18 of 54 patients [33%]). Unnecessary ICD discharges could be documented more often by stored Egs in patients with devices with Eg storage capability (Ventritex Cadence, 19 of 54 patients [35%]) than by Holter or telemetry monitoring in patients with devices without Egs storage capabilities (34 of 193 patients [18%], P < 0.01), despite a shorter mean follow-up duration of 14 +/- 9 months versus 26 +/- 21 months, respectively. Only six of 54 patients (11%) in whom unnecessary ICD discharges occurred had recurrent unnecessary shocks during 22 +/- 20 months of follow-up after treatment directed at the cause of the first episode or device reprogramming to preclude non-VT rhythm detection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)