64: Benzodiazepine Overdose: Recognition and Treatment When It's an Emergency

In part one of the two part series on benzodiazepines, our host Sarah Lorenzini presents us with a case study about how she treated a benzodiazepine overdose during her time working as an ER Nurse. She walks us through the state her patient was in when she arrived at the hospital and the steps she took when assessing the patient and how to treat her, as well as her thought process along the way.

Benzodiazepine overdoses are a little tricky. All the pieces of the puzzle matter, so having good detective skills and asking the right questions to get a full picture is crucial to treating the patient effectively, which is what Sarah wants to share in today’s episode.

In this episode, you will hear which questions Sarah asked in order to understand the patient’s situation and medical history, as well as the critical thinking required at each step to give you a better idea of how the pieces of the puzzle are found and how they’re put together. You will also hear what type of treatment works for benzodiazepine overdose and what doesn’t, and much more!

You don’t want to miss this one!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The state the patient arrived to the ER and Sarah’s initial assessment
• Questions Sarah asked the patient’s roommate
• How working in medicine requires being an investigator and counselor
• How Flumazenil works and why it was not administered
• A list of the signs and symptoms of a benzodiazepine overdose
• Tips on how to treat a benzodiazepine overdose