A 35-year-old female presents at a music festival having ingested GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate). She is deeply unconscious with a GCS of 3. Her respirat...

Question

A 35-year-old female presents at a music festival having ingested GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate). She is deeply unconscious with a GCS of 3. Her respiratory rate is 8 and SpO2 is 82%. Her pupils are mid-position and reactive. There is no specific antidote available. What is the management?

Accepted Answer

Supportive care: secure the airway (consider RSI), ventilate, and monitor; GHB has a short half-life (30-60 minutes) and patients typically recover within 2-4 hours with good supportive care

Answer

Administer activated charcoal

Answer

Administer naloxone - GHB is reversed by opioid antagonists

Answer

Administer flumazenil - GHB is a benzodiazepine analogue

Answer

Induce vomiting to remove the GHB

uk-dipimc MCQ (SBA): GHB Overdose

A 35-year-old female presents at a music festival having ingested GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate). She is deeply unconscious with a GCS of 3. Her respiratory rate is 8 and SpO2 is 82%. Her pupils are mid-position and reactive. There is no specific antidote available. What is the management?