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Epidemiology of fentanyl-involved drug overdose deaths: A geospatial retrospective study in Rhode Island, USA

2017; Elsevier BV; Volume: 46; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.05.029

1873-4758

Brandon D. L. Marshall, Maxwell S. Krieger, Jesse L. Yedinak, Patricia Ogera, Priya R. Banerjee, Nicole Alexander‐Scott, Josiah D. Rich, Traci C. Green,

Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects

Since 2012 fentanyl-detected fatal overdoses have risen from 4% of all fatal overdoses in Connecticut to 82% in 2019. We aimed to investigate the geographic and temporal trends in fentanyl-detected deaths in Connecticut during 2009–2019.Data on the dates and locations of accidental/undetermined opioid-detected fatalities were obtained from Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Using a Bayesian space-time binomial model, we estimated spatiotemporal trends in the proportion of fentanyl-detected deaths.During 2009–2019, a total of 6,632 opioid deaths were identified. Among these, 3234 (49%) were fentanyl-detected. The modeled spatial patterns suggested that opioid deaths in northeastern Connecticut had higher probability of being fentanyl-detected, while New Haven and its neighboring towns and the southwestern region of Connecticut, primarily Greenwich, had a lower risk. Model estimates also suggested fentanyl-detected deaths gradually overtook the preceding non-fentanyl opioid-detected deaths across Connecticut. The estimated temporal trend showed the probability of fentanyl involvement increased substantially since 2014.Our findings suggest that geographic variation exists in the probability of fentanyl-detected deaths, and areas at heightened risk are identified. Further studies are warranted to explore potential factors contributing to the geographic heterogeneity and continuing dispersion of fentanyl-detected deaths in Connecticut.