The transportation of illicit drugs by concealment within the body is now a common practice, and it has implications for clinical care. Body packers may ingest dozens of packets containing life-threatening doses of heroin, cocaine, or amphetamines. These smugglers may then present to physicians for evaluation while in legal custody or because of drug-induced toxic effects or obstruction or perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. This review provides guidance for the recognition and management of this clinical problem, which often also poses ethical and legal challenges for the clinician.
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Traub et al. (2003) studied this question.
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