Multiple MDMA (Ecstasy) Overdoses at a Rave Event
Journal of Intensive Care Medicine May 28, 2012 Patil Armenian, Tanya M. Mamantov, Ben Tsutaoka et al. 81 citations
Twelve people who took MDMA at a single rave were hospitalized in the San Francisco Bay area with life-threatening complications including seizures and hyperthermia. Eight needed emergency breathing tubes, and six had dangerously low blood pressure. Most had high potassium levels, acute kidney injury, and muscle breakdown. Two died, four survived with permanent neurological, muscle, or kidney damage, and six recovered without lasting harm. Ten had hyperthermia, with seven reaching extreme temperatures between 40.9°C and 43°C. Cooling took an average of 2.7 hours. Drug analysis of two confiscated capsules showed they contained 82% and 98% pure MDMA, with one capsule holding 270 mg—more than twice a typical dose. The MDMA-induced hyperthermia, worsened by large doses, a warm environment, and physical exertion, was a major cause of death and injury.