Drug experts skeptical of video claiming San Diego deputy overdoses on fentanyl

SAN DIEGO (KABC) – Questions are being raised over a video that shows a San Diego sheriff’s deputy collapsing after what is believed to have been accidental exposure to fentanyl.

Medical experts say fentanyl, a strong opioid, does not pass through the air or through accidental skin contact in sufficient amounts to cause a reaction like the one shown in the video, according to the San Diego-based KGTV station.

They added that the symptoms displayed by the MP in the video did not match those displayed during a typical opioid overdose.

“I would say there is no way it could be caused by exposure to fentanyl in this case,” Professor Leo Beletsky of the University of San Diego School of Medicine told KGTV.

Body camera video released by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department shows an intern falling backwards to the ground as he and another deputy deal with drugs at the scene of an arrest.

‘I Almost Died’: Video Shows San Diego MP’s Near Death Experience From Fentanyl Exposure

After the fall, the trainee remains on the ground, face up and eyes open but without moving. His training officer quickly grabs a container of opioid overdose antidote known as Narcan and sprays it into the trainee’s nostrils. This did not initially wake him up, but he was eventually taken to a nearby hospital and survived.

In the video released by the ministry, the recovered deputy remembers the terrifying moments and wipes away tears.

“I’m Deputy David Faiivae and almost died of a fentanyl overdose,” he says in the video.

The sheriff’s department said lab tests showed the powder handled that day contained methamphetamine and fentanyl plus fluorofentanyl.

But several medical experts say that whatever happened to the MP that day was probably not the result of exposure to fentanyl.

“The symptoms displayed do not correspond to an opioid overdose,” said Dr. Ryan Marino, toxicology specialist at Cleveland University Hospitals.

An opioid overdose would lead to obstruction of the airways, with the person changing color and their eyes narrowing, he said. This doesn’t seem to happen to the deputy in the video.

The American College of Medical Toxicology says that in an overdose, “The drug must enter the blood and brain from the environment. Toxicity cannot occur just by being in close proximity to the drug.”

Beletsky is concerned that the video may provide unnecessary stress to first responders dealing with drug-related incidents.

“It gives people the wrong idea of ​​what an opioid overdose looks like. I think it puts stress on first responders and other people who may be in contact with someone who is overdosing unnecessarily.”

The Sheriff’s Department did not respond to KGTV’s requests for further comment.