Report quantifies increase in EMS administration of naloxone

The well-publicized increases in emergency medical services (EMS) personnel's administration of naloxone to opioid overdose victims is quantified in a study co-authored by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The national findings, published last week in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, show a 75.1% increase in EMS administration of naloxone from 2012-2016.

The study, which also involved the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, found that during this period, EMS naloxone administrations and opioid overdose deaths increased most sharply in the 25-to-34 age group. The numbers in that group surpassed those for persons ages 45 to 54.

“While it's difficult to tell from the data, it's possible this is due to increased efforts to control misuse of prescription opioid pain relievers,” said Ashish Panchal, an emergency medical expert at the Wexner Medical Center. “At the same time, use of illegal opioids such as heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl has increased and is associated with younger age groups.”

The study, based on data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System, found that EMS naloxone administration events and opioid overdose deaths increased at roughly the same pace during the 2012-2016 period.