naloxone and Status-Asthmaticus

Children and adolescents with pulmonary hemorrhage are infrequently encountered in the emergency department (ED). We describe a case of a 16 year-old boy who presented to a pediatric ED with pulmonary hemorrhage and respiratory distress. The patient's unusual initial presentation resulted in the consideration of a broad differential diagnosis for his symptoms, including traumatic, neurological, respiratory, and toxicological causes. After resuscitation in the ED, a prolonged admission, and extensive testing, no cause could be found other than severe opioid toxicity. This case illustrates a rare, life-threatening presentation of opiod toxicity in a healthy adolescent and underlines the potentially serious nature of such exposures.

Topics: Adolescent; Analgesics, Opioid; Bronchi; Bronchoscopy; C-Reactive Protein; Disease Progression; Drug Overdose; Emergency Service, Hospital; Hemorrhage; Humans; Lung Diseases; Male; Morphine; Naloxone; Narcotic Antagonists; Regional Blood Flow; Status Asthmaticus