CHOOSING BETWEEN LIFE AND METH

Methamphetamine addiction is so powerful that all but one of 16 users
seeking a heart transplant in Oklahoma City died because they couldn't stop
using the stimulant, a report shows. In the last two years, only one of 16
patients needing a new heart because of their meth abuse completed
doctor-ordered substance abuse treatment and remained abstinent, said Wayne
Paris, a former clinical transplant social worker at the Integris Nazih
Zuhdi Transplantation Institute.

That patient's health improved so much that he no longer needed a
transplant. The other 15 patients died, said Paris, now an assistant
professor at Southern Illinois University.

By comparison, eight of 10 abusers of other illegal substances became
viable transplant patients during that time.

Paris' unpublished report was presented Wednesday to a group of Oklahoma
City lawyers.

"Methamphetamine is such an insidious drug and is so much more addictive
than anything out there. It's not that they don't want to quit. We just
haven't found the key to unlocking their treatment needs," Paris told
Oklahoma Bar Association members who plan to go to Oklahoma classrooms and
describe the dangers of meth use.

Dr. Mary Ann Bauman told the group that meth use causes increased and
irregular heartbeats, which can lead to congestive heart failure. But the
addiction is so powerful that many addicts are powerless to quit, said
Bauman, who is medical director for Women's Health and Community Relations
at Integris Baptist Medical Center.

Paris said the problem has become so pronounced that with
transplant-seeking patients under 30, "it is assumed that their need of a
heart transplant is directly related to methamphetamine abuse until proven
otherwise."

Of 44 patients referred to the transplant center with idiopathic heart
disease - between May 2002 and April 2004 - nearly 40 percent were meth
abusers.

Idiopathic heart disease includes problems caused by viruses, alcohol and
drug abuse.

The liver unit sees about five patients a year with a history of
methamphetamine use, but none have completed substance abuse treatment and
remained abstinent for at least six months, a prerequisite for a transplant.

Doctors say abstinence is essential because users are not likely to follow
the stringent fluid, dietary and medication regimen needed to successfully
treat end-stage liver disease.

At the Paul Silverstein Burn Center at Integris, the number of cases
related to meth lab explosions doubled in the last two years to 8 percent
of monthly admissions. In April, 19 of 227 admissions were related to meth use.

The patients generally have twice the death rate of other admissions, and
those who survive have worse burns and longer lengths of stay, Paris said.

"They are the sickest of the sick," he said.

But since passage four months ago of a law restricting sales of
pseudoephedrine, admissions due to meth lab explosions have dropped to two,
compared to nine during the same period last year.

The study shows the devastating effects of meth, Paris said, and the need
for early education and intervention.

"Waiting until the time of legal involvement, severe burn, or end-stage
organ disease is far too late," Paris said.