Medical Toxicology

Medical toxicologists evaluate and treat poisoned and envenomated patients, including patients experiencing adverse health effects of drugs and chemicals or who have been exposed to occupational and environmental toxins or radiological and biological agents.

UI Health Care Medical Toxicology fellowship-trained physicians have professional relationships with multiple regional and national toxicology agencies and education programs, helping to improve the specialized care of poisoned patients by working collaboratively with the clinicians caring for the patient.

Our medical toxicology physicians provide care for people who come into contact with drugs, substances, or other agents that cause adverse health effects. This requires expertise in many areas, including:

• Pharmacogenomic Testing:
  • Focused testing for genes that are known to effect metabolism of medications
  • Interpretation of focused testing relating to specific medications
  • Provide anticipatory guidance related to future medication regimens
• Unintentional and intentional overdoses of such agents as:
  • Therapeutic drugs including antidepressants, cardiac medications and many others
  • Over-the-counter medicines
  • Drugs of abuse
• Exposure to industrial chemical products and environmental hazards such as:
  • Pesticides
  • Heavy metals
    • Arsenic
    • Cadmium
    • Chromium
    • Lead
    • Mercury
    • Manganese
    • Nickel
    • Thallium
  • Household products
  • Toxic gases
  • Toxic alcohols
  • Other industrial and environmental agents, including radiation exposures
• Assistance with management of states of intoxication and chemical dependence including:
  • Acute states of intoxication from prescription, over-the-counter, or illicit substances
  • Complicated acute withdrawal states from addictive agents such as alcohol, drugs of abuse, prescription, or over-the-counter substances
  • Chronic adverse physical effects from substance misuse
• Diagnosis and management of exposures such as:
  • Snake, scorpion and spider envenomations
  • Marine toxins
  • Ingestion of food-borne toxins
  • Ingestion of toxic plants
• Assistance with antidotal therapies
• Laboratory interpretation in the potentially poisoned patient
• Independent medical examinations, assessing injury or disability resulting from toxic exposures

Medical toxicology physicians assess for, and manage, the poisoned condition when requested and serve as physician consultants to assist during care. A primary care provider will need to continue to be involved in the patient’s care.