View clinical trials related to Poisoning.
Filter by:Patients needing intensive care often require sedative drugs to reduce anxiety and agitation during ventilator care and invasive therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. At present there is no optimal sedative agent for these patients. The most commonly used sedative agents in intensive care units are midazolam and propofol. Both drugs have side effects of clinical importance. At present, a viable alternative to intravenous sedation is inhalatory sedation. Sevoflurane, as other inhaled anesthetic agents, is sedative in low doses. A new simplified method of administration of isoflurane or sevoflurane has been developed. The Anesthetic Conserving Device is a modified heat-moisture exchanger (HME) that permits direct infusion of sevoflurane to the airway, where it is vaporized in an evaporator rod in the device. However, the use of sevoflurane is limited to anesthesia and sedation lasting no more than 12 hours, since the possible renal problems posed by inorganic fluoride in prolonged operations remain the subject of controversy. The primary aim (and primary hypothesis) of the current trial is to determine whether sevoflurane can be administered as a sedative drug for more than 48 hours without clinically relevant physiopathological effects on kidney and liver function. Other end-points of the trial are to evaluate the quality of sedation of sevoflurane, in terms of sedation control, the rapidity and predictability of awakening, and the incidence of delirium in critical care patients.
The purpose of this biorepository is to collect blood from patients at the time of CO poisoning and at follow-up visits months to years later. These samples can be used in the future to learn more about how CO damages the heart and brain and whether blood tests could predict which patients will have problems after CO poisoning.
The role of anaerobic bacteria in the pathogenesis of palmer arsenical keratosis is not known. This can be evaluated by administering probiotics. Thirty patients from an arsenic affected area will be provided two probiotics capsules per day orally for 12 weeks and stool samples will be collected for qualitative and quantitative analysis of anaerobic bacteria. Similar number of arsenic exposed controls and healthy volunteers from the same area will be included with similar protocol for comparison. Like aerobic bacteria, anaerobic bacteria may be modulated by probiotics in arsenicosis patients.
Paraquat poisoning is characterized by multiple organ failure and pulmonary fibrosis with respiratory failure. Accumulating evidence suggested that continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) had a beneficial role in the treatment of multiple organ dysfunction. The investigators hypothesized that CVVH might restore multiple organ function and reduce the high mortality rate of paraquat poisoning. To confirm it, an prospective clinical study would be carried out.
The underlying concept behind this feasibility trial is to achieve a reduction in indoor smoke from biomass fuels and minimize changes in cooking practices such that it prompts one of the two improved, ventilated cookstoves to be the selection of choice. Typical fuel sources used in developing countries include wood, dried dung, and agricultural waste. The investigators propose to reduce indoor air pollution by replacing the household traditional cookstove with an improved design that incorporates the following key elements: - Burner openings customized to the size and shape of the cooking vessels in the home. - Flue designed to draw air into the fire box under the cooking pots and pass it out through a chimney. - A chimney with adequate height to create a draft and vented to the exterior. - An exterior port that has bidirectional openings to prevent backflow of smoke. - An access port for the chimney that permits cleaning of soot. The investigators propose to use two types of improved cookstoves that meet these criteria. As part of piloting activities, the investigators will test several different types of commercially-available cookstoves with a chimney, and we may also want to test a locally-made improved cookstove. The investigators want to evaluate those designs by comparing their ability to reduce indoor air pollution, the reliability between cookstoves of the same type, the functioning over time, the logistics of import/build locally, preferences and cultural compatibility, and costs. The investigators will select two types of improved cookstoves to use in the feasibility trial. The study design will be a crossover intervention trial in which all patients will first have a run-in observational period of 4 months with the traditional cookstove prior to randomization. At baseline, the investigators will obtain sociodemographic information for each household, respiratory outcomes and other health data for the participating women, and cooking times and practices including the types of fuels used. All 40 patients at each site will receive the two types of improved cookstoves, one after the other: 20 will be randomized to receive the first type of cookstove with a chimney and the other 20 to first receive the second type of improved cookstove with a chimney. The patients will be followed for 4 months before the crossover. The investigators will assess cooking behavioral practices and compliance with cookstove use monthly, and respiratory and environmental measures at the mid-point of the 4 month period to minimize carry-over effects. At the end of second 4 month period, the investigators will switch the order of the improved cookstoves and follow all participants for another 4 months. The investigators will assess behavior, compliance, respiratory and environmental measures as above. The study is expected to require 12 months to complete.
The costs to a rural emergency medical services (EMS) system of a change from a traditional cyanide antidote kit to a kit containing hydroxocobalamin alone are currently unknown. The purpose of this study is to use current EMS data to calculate the costs to a rural EMS system associated with the adoption of a hydroxocobalamin protocol for the treatment of suspected cyanide exposure.
The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the responsiveness and utility of several clinical outcome assessments in the setting of copperhead snakebite. The secondary objective is to characterize the clinical course of signs, symptoms and impairment during the recovery phase of copperhead snakebite.
There is no FDA approved therapy for the treatment of scorpion envenomation. Centruroides scorpion envenomation produces a pattern of neurotoxicity with a spectrum of severity ranging from trivial to life threatening. Patients stung by Centruroides scorpions develop a clinical syndrome which may require sedation with benzodiazepines and observation for 6 to 28 hours of intensive care monitoring. A safe therapy is necessary to halt the progression of symptoms early in the clinical course while avoiding the clinical deterioration that can occur en route to a tertiary facility. Alacramyn® is anticipated to be safer and more effective than the present standard of care, midazolam, and faster-acting thus eliminating the need to transport most rural patients and reducing hospitalization time.
There is no FDA approved therapy for the treatment of scorpion envenomation in the United States. Centruroides scorpion envenomation produces a pattern of neurotoxicity with a spectrum of severity ranging from trivial to life threatening. Patients stung by Centruroides scorpions develop a clinical syndrome which may require sedation with benzodiazepines and observation for 6 to 28 hours of intensive care monitoring. A safe therapy is necessary to halt the progression of symptoms early in the clinical course while avoiding the clinical deterioration that can occur en route to a tertiary facility. Alacramyn® is anticipated to be safer and more effective than the present standard of care in the United States, midazolam, and faster-acting thus eliminating the need to transport most rural patients and reducing hospitalization time.
In a cross-sectional study allotted by the ethical committee of the ETH Zurich, we are investigating the extent of anemia, iron deficiency and lead intoxication in young children. For this purpose an assessment of body lead burden and iron status was conducted in a cohort of individuals residing in areas of presumed high lead exposure. Associations between lead burden and iron status will be investigated in the near future (current status of the study). In a follow-on intervention study, the effect of iron fortification with and without NaEDTA on blood lead levels in lead-exposed children will be evaluated; and the relative impact of these two strategies on child growth, motor and cognitive test performance will be compared. This study will investigate the potential use of iron fortification to not only combat anemia but also reduce body lead burden in lead-exposed populations; it specifically investigates whether iron fortification with NaFeEDTA could have additional beneficial effects to iron alone.