Toxicological Emergencies Flashcards
6 cards from real AMLS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Toxicological Emergencies flashcards as text
Which toxin causes a 'sympathomimetic toxidrome' with hyperthermia, tachycardia, hypertension, and agitation?
Answer: Cocaine or amphetamines
Cocaine and amphetamines cause the sympathomimetic toxidrome by blocking catecholamine reuptake or increasing release, producing excess adrenergic stimulation.
What is the treatment for organophosphate poisoning causing SLUDGE symptoms?
Answer: Atropine and pralidoxime (2-PAM)
Atropine blocks muscarinic effects and is given in large doses, while pralidoxime (2-PAM) reactivates acetylcholinesterase before aging occurs.
Carbon monoxide poisoning should be treated with which intervention?
Answer: 100% oxygen via non-rebreather mask or hyperbaric oxygen
High-flow 100% oxygen competes with CO for hemoglobin binding and reduces CO half-life from 5 hours to approximately 60–90 minutes.
A widened QRS complex and sodium channel blockade are hallmarks of toxicity from which drug class?
Answer: Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
TCA overdose blocks cardiac sodium channels causing QRS widening (>100 ms), dysrhythmias, hypotension, and seizures.
Which treatment reverses the QRS widening caused by TCA overdose?
Answer: Sodium bicarbonate IV bolus
Sodium bicarbonate increases serum pH and sodium load, reversing sodium channel blockade and narrowing the widened QRS in TCA overdose.
Serotonin syndrome is caused by excessive serotonergic activity and presents with which triad?
Answer: Mental status change, neuromuscular abnormalities, and autonomic instability
Serotonin syndrome's classic triad includes altered mental status, neuromuscular findings (clonus, hyperreflexia), and autonomic instability (hyperthermia, tachycardia).