Inadvertent methamphetamine poisoning in pediatric patients

With the increase in popularity of adult methamphetamine abuse in the state of Arizona, there has been an increase in the number of pediatric admissio ns from inadvertent methamphetamine poisoning. This report describes the si gns and symptoms and the hospital course of pediatric patients inadvertentl y poisoned with methamphetamine. A nine-year retrospective chart review ide ntified 18 pediatric patients poisoned only with methamphetamine. This revi ew revealed that pediatric patients with methamphetamine poisoning commonly presented with the following signs and symptoms: tachycardia (18 patients) , agitation (nine patients), inconsolable crying and irritability (six pati ents), and vomiting (six patients). The most common ancillary tests, exclud ing urine drug screens, used in formulating the diagnosis were computed tom ography scans of the head (five patients) and lumbar punctures (three patie nts). Three patients received Centruroides sculpturatus antivenin intraveno usly, The most common complication of methamphetamine poisoning was rhabdom yolysis (two patients), and the average hospital stay for all patients was three days. This case series demonstrates that pediatric patients who inges t methamphetamine can present with signs and symptoms similar to those of a n abdominal or neurologic pediatric emergency.