Death in Sauna Associated With a Transdermal Fentanyl Patch
Kriikku P, Ojanperä I, Lunetta P
The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology · 2 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Case report (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Clinical events such as disease or death
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2020-07-31 · Am J Forensic Med Pathol · vol. 41 · issue 4 · pp. 313–314
- Publisher
- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
- Cited
- 4 citations · more than 44% of similar papers · 0.1× the field average
- References
- 13 works
- Access
- Open access (repository copy)
- Research areas
- Pain Mechanisms and Treatments · Pain Management and Opioid Use · Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Keywords
- Fentanyl, Transdermal, Medicine, Transdermal patch, Accidental, Anesthesia, Pharmacology
- MeSH
- humans, fentanyl, analgesics, opioid, steam bath, aged, 80 and over, female, transdermal patch
3 authors
From FI
- Pirkko Kriikku · correspondingUniversity of Helsinki; Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
- Ilkka Antero Ojanperä · correspondingUniversity of Helsinki; Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
- Philippe LunettaUniversity of Turku; University of Oulu
Abstract
We present a case of an accidental fatal fentanyl overdose caused by increased uptake of the drug from a transdermal patch while experiencing the heat of a sauna.The transdermal patch administers fentanyl at a relatively constant rate through the skin. However, in the subcutaneous tissue, blood circulation greatly influences the rate of this drug's systemic intake. In the present case, an elderly woman with multiple health conditions was prescribed fentanyl patches but was unaware of the risks associated with external heat sources when one wears the patch. She was found dead in the sauna with a postmortem femoral blood concentration of fentanyl that was elevated (15 μg/L). The cause of death was determined to be fatal poisoning by fentanyl with the contributing factor of external heat from the sauna.Risks associated with transdermal administration of a potent opioid-like fentanyl are widely described in the scientific literature and described in the manufacturer's summary of product characteristics. Physicians and pharmacists should take particular care to ensure that patients understand these risks.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
Community trust
Loading…
How much do you trust this study's findings?
Comments
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inSomething wrong here?
Flag this study if its information, labels or funding look wrong. An editor reviews every flag.
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inEducational information about published research. Not medical advice, and not a recommendation to start or stop anything.