The Northern New England Poison Center is your local resource for antidote management. Our poison specialists and toxicologists are available 24/7 to assist health care professionals in the medical management of patients who require a specific antidote or antivenom. We also help health care facilities determine which antidotes to stock, and can assist in finding antidotes or suggest other options in the case of a shortage.
To help hospital staff make stocking decisions about antidotes, in May 2018 we released the NNEPC Antidote Chart. This tool lays out many of the more common antidotes the poison center may recommend in treating poisoned patients, explaining what each antidote is used for, the dosing parameters, and how much is generally needed on hand to treat a patient initially. Not every hospital will require every antidote listed in the chart, and the poison center is available to help determine your hospital’s needs by calling 1-800-222-1222.
To help make these assessments, the NNEPC conducts a periodic hospital antidote survey to find out which antidotes each hospital in the region regularly stocks. Your participation is crucial to helping the poison center determine where to send patients, or where to obtain an antidote that is not stocked by every hospital.
Remember, the NNEPC Antidote Chart is only a reference and not a substitute for calling the poison center. Each patient and circumstance is unique, and we urge you to contact the NNEPC at 1-800-222-1222 for consultation and assistance in dosing individual patients.
The NNEPC’s state educators—Rebecca Miller (Maine), Laurie Warnock (New Hampshire) and Gayle Finkelstein (Vermont) have been contacting hospitals in the region to deliver complimentary copies of the antidote chart to pharmacy and ED staff and to discuss other ways the poison center can be a resource for you. To arrange a meeting, email your state’s educator (link in the name above). You can also download the antidote chart or order a physical copy at cost through our website.
