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Summary
Use of flumazenil in an Emergency Department: 1996 to 2019
María Isabel Pérez-Pañart1, Francisco José Ruiz-Ruiz1, Ana Ferrer- Dufol2, Alberto Díez-Navarro3, Belen Founaud2
Affiliation of the authors
1Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain. 2Unidad de Toxicología Clínica, Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain. 3Atención Primaria, Centro de Salud Tarazona, Zaragoza, Spain.
DOI
Quote
Pérez-Pañart MI, Ruiz-Ruiz FJ, Ferrer-Dufol A, Díez-Navarro A, Founaud B. Use of flumazenil in an Emergency Department: 1996 to 2019. Rev Esp Urg Emerg. 2023;2:209–13
Summary
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE. Flumazenil is a competitive benzodiazepine antagonist that is used to reverse the effects of a benzodiazepine overdose. Although considered safe. flumazenil’s use in overdoses of unknown substances is controversial given that multiple drugs are often involved and benzodiazepines might be reversing the stimulant properties of some other agent a patient
has taken. This study aimed to understand how flumazenil has been used in our hospital over a 24-year period and the adverse effects that arose after its use.
METHODS. Descriptive study of case records of patients with acute poisoning attended by Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa in Tarragona from 1996 through 2019. Benzodiazepines were thought to be implicated in all the included cases.
RESULTS. We reviewed 4517 cases in which benzodiazepines were involved alone or in combination with other drugs or toxic substances. Flumazenil was administered in 1427 cases (31.6%). Adverse effects were observed in 13 patients (.9%). Two of the patients (.1%) had seizures.
CONCLUSIONS. Flumazenil has a wide margin of safety when used as an antidote for benzodiazepine poisoning. provided contraindications for use are borne in mind.
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