title: Survey of the stocking of poison antidotes in Alabama hospitals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We wanted to estimate the current antidote supply in Alabama hospitals, establish if certain antidotes were stocked more than others, and identify certain parameters (eg, treatment level of care, licensed bed size, or county population) as predictors for the current antidote supply.
  
  
  METHODS
  We faxed surveys to treatment level I/II hospitals and a random sample of treatment level III hospitals. Antidote supply was reported for digoxin immune Fab, pyridoxine, ethanol, pralidoxime, antivenin (Crotalidae), deferoxamine, cyanide, naloxone, and fomepizole.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of treatment level I/II and level III hospitals surveyed, 28 (100%) and 20 (71.4%) responded, respectively. None (0%) of the hospitals surveyed had adequate stocking for all nine antidotes. The results illustrate the common practice of understocking poison antidotes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hospitals must reevaluate their current antidote inventories for meeting the needs of acutely poisoned patients. Policy containing specific guidelines must be developed and uniformly adopted as standard of practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294-0011, USA.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Teresi
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000407:Alabama; D000931:Antidotes / Q000191:economics; D000997:Antivenins; D003486:Cyanides; D003676:Deferoxamine; D004864:Equipment and Supplies / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000431:Ethanol; D000077604:Fomepizole; D006801:Humans; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D009270:Naloxone; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011220:Pralidoxime Compounds; D011720:Pyrazoles; D011736:Pyridoxine; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D000931:Antidotes; D000997:Antivenins; D003486:Cyanides; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D011220:Pralidoxime Compounds; D011720:Pyrazoles; C050199:digoxin antibodies Fab fragments; D009270:Naloxone; D000431:Ethanol; D000077604:Fomepizole; D003676:Deferoxamine; D011736:Pyridoxine; C028797:pralidoxime