Wave of cocaine abuse floods hospitals

A GROWING wave of cocaine users seeking emergency medical treatment is causing huge diagnosis difficulties for A&E staff untrained in drug detection.

Hospital consultants in Cork and Dublin said frontline staff need detection guidelines in order to avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment.

Dr Peter O'Connor, A&E consultant in Dublin's Mater Hospital, said staff were bracing themselves for an influx of patients with respiratory and cardiac problems caused by cocaine use.