Human health hazards of veterinary medications: information for emergency departments.
BACKGROUND
There are over 5000 approved prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as vaccines, with labeled indications for veterinary patients. Of these, there are several products that have significant human health hazards upon accidental or intentional exposure or ingestion in humans: carfentanil, clenbuterol (Ventipulmin), ketamine, tilmicosin (Micotil), testosterone/estradiol (Component E-H and Synovex H), dinoprost (Lutalyse/Prostamate), and cloprostenol (Estromate/EstroPlan). The hazards range from mild to life-threatening in terms of severity, and include bronchospasm, central nervous system stimulation, induction of miscarriage, and sudden death.


OBJECTIVE
To report medication descriptions, human toxicity information, and medical management for the emergent care of patients who may have had exposure to veterinary medications when they present to an emergency department (ED).


CONCLUSIONS
The intended use of this article is to inform and support ED personnel, drug information centers, and poison control centers on veterinary medication hazards.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a need for increased awareness of the potential hazards of veterinary medications within human medicine circles. Timely reporting of veterinary medication hazards and their medical management may help to prepare the human medical community to deal with such exposures or abuses when time is of the essence.
Lust
Elaine Blythe
EB
Regulatory Affairs, Professional Veterinary Products, Ltd., Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
Barthold
Claudia
C
Malesker
Mark A
MA
Wichman
Tammy O
TO
D000818:Animals; D003008:Cloprostenol / Q000009:adverse effects; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000009:adverse effects; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D004958:Estradiol / Q000009:adverse effects; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006801:Humans; D007649:Ketamine / Q000009:adverse effects; D013739:Testosterone / Q000009:adverse effects; D015645:Tylosin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D019155:Veterinary Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*
D019155:Veterinary Drugs; D013739:Testosterone; D003008:Cloprostenol; D004958:Estradiol; D007649:Ketamine; D015237:Dinoprost; C017114:carfentanil; D005283:Fentanyl; C052319:tilmicosin; D015645:Tylosin