Fentanyl- and fentanyl analog-related deaths across five counties in Central New York between 2013 and 2017

Abstract

Introduction: Deaths due to drug overdose in the US in 2017 amounted to approximately 72,000, an increase of 12% from the previous year. There was a near tenfold increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids from 3,105 in 2013 to approximately 30,000 in 2017. Recent data from the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified fentanyl as most frequently involved in overdose deaths in the US as of 2016. This is consistent with statistics in New York State, where opioid-related overdose deaths increased by nearly 35% between 2015 and 2016, with fentanyl-related deaths increasing by 160%. The objective of this study is to report the incidence of deaths involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs across five counties in Central New York between January 1, 2013 and December 17, 2017.

Methods: All unintentional drug-related deaths across five counties in Central New York between January 1, 2013 and December 17, 2017 reported by the Medical Examiner’s (ME) Office were included. Ante-mortem and post-mortem specimens were obtained for analysis.

Results: A total of 417 deaths involving fentanyl and/or fentanyl analogs were reported, increasing from 10 cases in 2013 to 184 cases in 2017. Despropionyl fentanyl and furanylfentanyl were the analogs identified most frequently.

Discussion: The study’s data demonstrates an increase in the number of deaths related to fentanyl and/or fentanyl analogs. The number of deaths associated with fentanyl or an analog rose year to year, with despropionyl fentanyl and furanylfentanyl most commonly identified. The increase in fentanyl- and/or fentanyl analog-related deaths is consistent with national and international data.

Conclusions: This study highlights the current crisis occurring in Central New York and serves to emphasize the ongoing global health threat posed by these chemical derivatives.

Keywords:

• Forensic science
• forensic toxicology
• fentanyl
• fentanyl analogs
• heroin

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.