Medical Toxicology

Outpatient Clinic

The Medical Toxicology Outpatient Clinic, under the direction of Dr. Michael Abesamis, provides evaluation and treatment for persons exposed to chemicals and solvents at work or home. In addition to these exposures, obvious exposures, such as carbon monoxide poisoning or hydrofluoric acid burns, can be easily referred to the clinic for further evaluation and medical management.

In not so obvious cases, a primary care physician may refer a patient to 1) see if the constellation of symptoms may be due to an exposure, 2) see if an exposure (active or chronic) is medically significant, 3) determine further evaluation and treatment options and/or 4) further treatment for poisoning. We welcome primary care physician calls to help determine if a patient should be seen in our clinic.

Outpatient Clinic Appointments

The outpatient clinic is referral based only and requires a referral from your primary care or treating physician.  All medical records from your primary care or treating physician can be faxed to the clinic (412) 864-3993.  

Before your appointment, an Occupational and Medical History form will be mailed to you for completion. You must bring all completed forms to your appointment along with any additional medical records.  If exposure to any chemicals occurred, it is also helpful to obtain a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) or have a listing of which chemical(s) you were exposed to.

The clinic accepts most health insurance plans. If you have questions or concerns about coverage or payment, please call us at (412) 864-5382.

Inpatient and Consultation Services

As the largest medical toxicology program in Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and West Virginia, we provide an inpatient and consultation service that can deal with the most difficult and life-threatening poisonings or envenomations in this area. Besides providing inpatient hospital care, our service can also provide other medical professionals with a high level of expertise in diagnosing and managing the care of poisoned patients through our consultation service.

Some of the key benefits in having a poisoned or envenomated patient seen by a toxicologist are their intimate knowledge of drugs, chemicals and venoms and how to treat patients exposed to them. Toxicologists provide evaluation of inpatients with regard to diagnosing poisonings, ruling out poisonings as an etiology, or in helping to manage the care of the poisoned or envenomated patient. Toxicologists also have available to them special therapeutics, interventions, and specialists, when necessary. With an efficient system set up to treat inpatients, the result can be a shorter hospital stay and if needed, rapid psychiatric intervention and referral.

Specialized Inpatient Services provided by Division of Medical Toxicology:

• Surface decontamination.
• Extracorporeal detoxification.
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO).
• Administration of specific antidotes and anti-venom.
• Inpatient admission to the service of a toxicologist.
• 24-hour psychiatric consultation services.
• 24-hour availability of essential laboratory services provided through a toxicology-chemistry lab.