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Thread: Heroin Overdose Epidemic - what is your perspective?

  1. #481
    THE THIRST MUTILATOR Nephrology's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lwt16 View Post
    Making a trip there on the way home from my shift. Thanks for adding that.

    As many as we have had recently, I'm not too keen on waiting for shipping.

    Thanks.
    Definitely double check the thickness to make sure you got the right kind - 6mil = 6/1000 of an inch. It should be written on the box somewhere.

  2. #482
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    I read a Facebook post today that had some local EMS folks talking about dealing with multiple people recently who had used Methacarn. This is a quote from one of them:

    "It mimics heroin, sluggish and kind of zombie like, but pupils and HR are like someone on Meth and they hallucinate. Bp in the shitter."

    Never heard of it so I googled it and the only Methacarn I found is a tissue preservative consisting of 60% methanol, 30% choloroform, 10% glacial acetic acid. Seems odd to me.

    Anyone heard of this? Anyone familiar with those chemicals who can say if those effects sound right?

  3. #483
    THE THIRST MUTILATOR Nephrology's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by scjbash View Post
    I read a Facebook post today that had some local EMS folks talking about dealing with multiple people recently who had used Methacarn. This is a quote from one of them:

    "It mimics heroin, sluggish and kind of zombie like, but pupils and HR are like someone on Meth and they hallucinate. Bp in the shitter."

    Never heard of it so I googled it and the only Methacarn I found is a tissue preservative consisting of 60% methanol, 30% choloroform, 10% glacial acetic acid. Seems odd to me.

    Anyone heard of this? Anyone familiar with those chemicals who can say if those effects sound right?

    I will defer to someone with more expertise but to my knowledge chloroform, MeOH and galcial acetic acid might make you go blind, but definitely would make you puke a lot. I do not think they would get you high.

    What you describe sounds like anti-cholinergic toxicity. The most common and available non-prescription anti-cholinergic Deadly Nightshade. That said, super low BP isn't consistent with an anticholinergic so my educated guess is likely off target.
    Last edited by Nephrology; 08-29-2017 at 02:30 PM.

  4. #484
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nephrology View Post
    I will defer to someone with more expertise but to my knowledge chloroform, MeOH and galcial acetic acid might make you go blind, but definitely would make you puke a lot. I do not think they would get you high.

    What you describe sounds like anti-cholinergic toxicity. The most common and available non-prescription anti-cholinergic Deadly Nightshade. That said, super low BP isn't consistent with an anticholinergic so my educated guess is likely off target.
    Thanks. I'll see if I can get some more info. Could be something else entirely and they've got the name wrong, or methacarn is some new street name for God knows what.

  5. #485
    Quote Originally Posted by Nephrology View Post
    Definitely double check the thickness to make sure you got the right kind - 6mil = 6/1000 of an inch. It should be written on the box somewhere.
    Roger that. Thanks buddy.

    Guess I'll have to drag my reading glasses along too.

    Looking on Ebay for a good belt pouch now.

  6. #486
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    Quote Originally Posted by lwt16 View Post
    Roger that. Thanks buddy.

    Guess I'll have to drag my reading glasses along too.

    Looking on Ebay for a good belt pouch now.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776

  7. #487
    Amazon.com: long nitrile gloves

    Some here that are 26" long...




    (which reminds me of a flight surgeon with a sick sense of humor...)
    Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
    “It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
    Glenn Reynolds

  8. #488
    Had a double homicide in the county next to us related to heroin.

    I got the lovely task of going to the house of the registered owner of the vehicle the decedents were found in to see if he too was a victim. Turns out he wasn't.....but one of the victims was his grandson. Turns out grandpa used to be one of us back in the day. Was my Captain's FTO years and years ago.

    Poor guy can't win. His son was killed in an armed robbery back in 08. Now his grandson is on a slab at the State lab.

    Getting to where most of the calls now are heroin related.....at least in my zone.

    Regards.
    Last edited by lwt16; 09-01-2017 at 06:52 AM.

  9. #489
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nephrology View Post
    These solvents, over time, liquefy the adipose tissue in your cadaver. It comes out as this slow sweat of grease that is a mixture of fixative and human fat. In addition to its peculiar menthol-like odor and the dizziness it causes with progressive exposure, this grease makes your fingers go numb and will soak through an exam glove in 5 minutes. This is why I always wore a regular exam glove under + the 7mil 11" nitrile gloves over during dissections, especially as we got into the chest and abdomen.

    You all now know why I know so much about gloves.
    Just as a side note for anyone who cares, those solvents are not normally present, unless the body is embalmed. And to be honest, most morticians don't wear gloves at all. If they do they usually are heavy PVC. Latex is wonderful for preventing transmission of diseases, but is not very good at forming a barrier to those solvents. Nitrile is better as a barrier to solvents, but not as good as a barrier to disease. PVC is probably the best for solvent protection. In the old days in the hospital when I worked with both solvents and tissue, I would wear a pair of nitrile gloves with a pair of latex gloves over them, and repeatedly change just the latex glove. (Having a second pair of gloves on prevents sweat or other moisture on your hands from making it harder to change gloves. Something to remember for those who work in the out of doors with gloves.)

    Double gloving is frequently better than single gloving. There is a wicking action between the gloves that can help prevent spread of disease. Plus you are not reliant on one pair of gloves remaining intact. For those planning on double gloving, a couple of things to keep in mind. The 6 and 7 mil gloves will decrease your manual dexterity. I _can_ type in 6 mil, but just barely, I can't in 7 mil. Sometimes the dexterity is more important. Also, adding one set of gloves will increase your hand size. If you are near the top range of the glove, you may need to buy a size up for the second pair. If your fingers are going numb or tingly, your gloves are too tight. When I do an internal exam, I prefer to wear two pair of 4-5 mil gloves rather than one pair of 6-7 mil. For external examinations, I will wear a thicker pair of gloves and put the super cheap thin gloves over them, because I will end up changing the cheap gloves a lot, but leave the underlying heavier glove alone.

    In my work, I am neither worried about solvents nor allergies so I use latex. For someone to use around the house, latex is ok, but will break down and become brittle with exposure to air. For someone who contacts the general public in gloves a lot, I would look hard at nitrile. Latex allergy is a real thing. To just have around the house or car, Nitrile will last longer. Cheap PVC gloves suck, expensive ones are awesome, but expensive. Extended cuff is nice, beaded cuff is nice. Do not buy sterile or handed, unless you just have money to burn. (Surgical gloves are a whole 'nother topic, and one I don't have enough experience in to have a serious conversation. Exam gloves I know.)

  10. #490
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    A good friend is an embalmer and told me that often they are not informed if their cases had died of hepatitis or HIV related diseases. Hence, he and his colleagues use gloves. When they handle autopsied remains, they make a point to use them too. And then there are the types of purging that they sometimes encounter, not to mention body wastes from incontinence. I worked with him in the distant past and don't remember seeing lapses of reason in employing safe practice. The smells got me.

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