INTRODUCTION: Intravenous lipid emulsions (ILEs) have been used in clinical practice for over five decades as an essential component of parenteral nutrition (PN). Furthermore, ILEs have been recognized as a therapeutic option for poisoning caused by lipophilic compounds. Currently, ILEs are used as an antidote in treating local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST). Thus, there is a growing interest in their use as a lipid resuscitation therapy in the management of intoxications with other lipophilic substances. At the same time, acute opioid intoxication due to opioid abuse is a global problem resulting in thousands of deaths per year. Moreover, recent findings indicate that respiratory depression due to synthetic opioid overdose exhibits resistance to reversal by the conventional antagonist, naloxone. Therefore, this article aimed to present the current knowledge about the use of ILEs as an antidote, particularly in opioid overdose.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was performed in different scientific databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and ResearchGate.
RESULTS: Specific data on the use of ILEs for opioid intoxications, as well as evidence for their efficacy, are limited in the scientific literature. Several studies reported beneficial effects of ILEs in opioid intoxications. Authors assumed that ILEs can sequester lipophilic opioids and affect their distribution.
CONCLUSION: Considering new strategies for managing opioid overdose is urgent. Based on the outlined potential mechanisms of action of ILEs, it can be inferred that lipid resuscitation therapy might prove advantageous in cases of acute opioid intoxication.
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