Chapter 5: Opioids: Contributing to Both Health and Death, 2nd Edition 2 CE Hours
By: Stephen Born, CFSP
Course Approval Number: 367494
Learning outcomes After completing this course, the learner will be able to: Explain what an opioid is and why opioid use has turned into an epidemic. Identify active steps that the medical community is incorporating to combat the opioid epidemic. Identify the dangers embalmers face with opioids. Actively adapt personal protective protocols when interacting with individuals who are dependent on opioids. Course overview Opioids are pain relievers accessed through prescriptions. When someone takes too many opioids or reaches a tolerance threshold, an overdose occurs. With the increase of opioid deaths in the U.S., it is imperative for the death- care industry to recognize and respect the hidden dangers. The funeral arrangements, visitation, and funeral can be complicated because of the circumstances surrounding the death. Opioids can affect the vessels and tissues of
Explain the proper procedures when removing the deceased and clothing before embalming an opioid user. Identify how opioids affect the body and how this affects the embalming process. Discuss how opioids affect the brain, including how naloxone combats the drug. Formulate a plan for naloxone administration at the funeral home. Adapt techniques to ensure safety for funeral home staff and visitors. the body and cause embalming issues for embalmers. Funeral directors and embalmers need to be aware of safety procedures before embalming and to incorporate strict personal protective equipment protocols. There are different embalming techniques for embalming an individual who was using opioids at the time of death as well as those who have overdosed on opioids. This course will also describe strategies to help combat overdoses in the funeral home.
INTRODUCTION
local governments have enacted laws to move from mass incarceration to providing needed treatment. Drugs to combat overdoses are now being given to family and friends of people who are dependent on opioids in case of an unexpected overdose. This epidemic has become such an issue that by the time you have completed this course, five people will have died from an opioid overdose. What is more astonishing is that half of these deaths are not from illicit drugs, but from opioids prescribed by physicians.
Opioid use has grown substantially over the past decade. Over the years, it has been common practice for physicians to prescribe pain relievers to individuals who, for a variety of reasons, suffer acute or chronic pain. These medications suppress the nerves to the brain and spinal cord, thus causing temporary relief. However, when patients deviate from the prescribed opioid dosage and abuse the prescription, the consequences can be severe, including death. Recognizing the need for intervention, state and
OPIOID EPIDEMIC
Since 2002, opioid-related deaths have grown nearly 300%. On average, more than 130 Americans die each day after overdosing on opioids (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2019). In the United States, a person is more likely to die of an opioid overdose than from an automobile crash. In fact, opioid overdoses are the leading cause of accidental deaths. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared it a public health emergency. According to the Illinois Department of Health, opioid-related deaths increased 82% between 2013 and 2016 in Illinois, and this number is continually rising (Conley-Keck, 2019). Dispersible), and illegal drugs such as heroin. If any of these drugs is taken in abundance, respiratory depression can occur—this is the overdose. One of the deadliest opioids is carfentanil, an elephant and rhinoceros tranquilizer, which is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Just 20 micrograms of carfentanil, which would be the size of a grain of salt, is fatal.
An epidemic is an outbreak that affects a large percentage of individuals at the same time in any given area. It can be a disease; obesity; contaminated foods; or, in this case, opioids. The trajectory of the crisis of opioid overdose deaths has turned into just that—a national epidemic. But it is quickly turning from an epidemic into a pandemic, which is a worldwide issue. In Illinois alone, 11,000 individuals have died from opioids from 2008-2019. (Conley-Keck, 2019). Opioids Opioids are in a class of drugs that come in many forms. Opioids are often prescribed to treat and manage pain. They are a class of drugs either derived from the opium poppy plant or made by scientists in labs (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2018). Common prescription opioid drugs are hydrocodone (Vicodin, Norco), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet, Opana), morphine (Kadian, Avinza), and codeine (Tylenol with Codeine No. 3). Opioids also include synthetic drugs like fentanyl (Duragesic) and methadone (Diskets
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Book Code: FFL1225
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