[Infectious Adverse Events Related to Misuse of High-dose Buprenorphine: a Retrospective Study of 42 Cases]

Purpose: Misuse of high-dose buprenorphine (HDB), mainly by injection, is responsible of frequent infectious adverse events.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of infectious complications occurring in patients using HDB by injection. Forty-two cases were identified (29 men and ten women) and the data were collected between March 1999 and December 2008.

Results: The infectious complications included cutaneous infections (27 cases), endocarditis (nine cases), osteoarticular infections (four spondylodiscitis and one sacroiliitis), and a vascular embolism with decrease in visual acuity.

Conclusion: The results of HDB maintenance treatment must be improved, both from the point of view of substitution and to limit its misuse by intravenous route injection. Health professionals have to play an important role in drug addict patients' education and supervision, to prevent buprenorphine injection and related infectious complications.