title: Serial monitoring of sedation scores in benzodiazepine overdose.
abstract: Benzodiazepines are widely used for many diseases, and benzodiazepine overdose is globally increasing in proportion to its prescriptions. Although most benzodiazepine overdoses are known to be safe and nonfatal without coingestions, morbidity or mortality after benzodiazepine overdose is closely related with the duration of unconsciousness or depth of compromised airway. Proper use of flumazenil, a potent antidote of benzodiazepine, seems to accelerate the recovery from the toxicity after benzodiazepine overdose.However, as the case we present demonstrates, careful attention and repetitive evaluations before and after use of flumazenil may be needed in benzodiazepine overdose because resedation occurs in approximately 30% of total flumazenil-treated cases, which suggests that the risk of aspiration or incidental death after administrating flumazenil might be significant without careful monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Uijeongbu St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Uijeongbu, Korea.
authors.forename: Yeon Young
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Kyong
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Uijeongbu St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Uijeongbu, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeng Tak
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Uijeongbu St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Uijeongbu, Korea. Electronic address: ergogo@naver.com.
authors.forename: Kyoung Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000506:poisoning*; D000931:Antidotes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002998:Clonazepam / Q000506:poisoning*; D062787:Drug Overdose; D005260:Female; D005442:Flumazenil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D013406:Suicide, Attempted
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000931:Antidotes; D005442:Flumazenil; D002998:Clonazepam