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Childhood poisoning involving transdermal nicotine patches

A Woolf1, K Burkhart, T Caraccio

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Massachusetts Poison Control System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Pediatrics
|May 1, 1997
PubMed

Insights

Unintentional exposure to transdermal nicotine patches (TNP) in children typically involves used patches and results in mild, transient symptoms. Most cases require only basic decontamination and supportive care, with full recovery reported.

Area of Science:

  • Toxicology
  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Public Health Surveillance

Background:

  • Transdermal nicotine patches (TNP) are used for smoking cessation.
  • Accidental pediatric exposure to TNPs can occur through dermal contact or ingestion.
  • Understanding the risks associated with TNP exposure in children is crucial for public health and clinical management.

Observation:

  • A prospective case series analyzed 36 TNP exposures in children aged 0-15 years reported to poison centers over 24 months.
  • Exposures involved dermal contact with intact or used patches (18 cases) or oral exposure via biting/swallowing patch components (18 cases).
  • No specific brand of TNP was associated with increased symptom severity.

Findings:

  • Symptomatic children (39%) experienced gastrointestinal distress, weakness, dizziness, or localized rashes.
  • Symptom development after dermal exposure correlated with an estimated nicotine dose of ≥0.10 mg.
  • Ten children required emergency department visits, and two were hospitalized, with all patients making a full recovery.

Implications:

  • Unintentional TNP exposures in young children are often associated with used patches and are generally transient.
  • Management primarily involves skin decontamination and supportive care.
  • Continued surveillance of inadvertent TNP exposures in children is recommended to validate these findings and inform safety guidelines.
Abstract

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