Westmoreland seeking wound kits to combat nasty side effect of xylazine use

Wound kits could be delivered this summer to Westmoreland County agencies that are seeing more people dealing with a particularly nasty side effect of using the powerful animal sedative xylazine.

“We are seeing the unfortunate increase in the wounds from the xylazine,” said Tim Phillips, director of the county’s department of community relations and prevention.

Phillips said he requested the wound kits from the state Department of Health for the Westmoreland County-based nonprofits Sage’s Army and Lost Dreams Awakening.

Xylazine is increasingly being mixed with illegal street drugs such as fentanyl and cocaine. It was the second-highest contributor to accidental drug overdose deaths in Westmoreland County last year. Fentanyl was the first, and cocaine was third, according to the coroner’s annual report.

Overdose deaths linked to xylazine increased by 42% from 2022 to last year, while the number of drug-related fatalities overall decreased from 118 in 2022 to 95 in 2023.

The use of xylazine also is causing skin ulcers and wounds that have been seen in local hospitals, officials said.

Also known as “tranq,” xylazine use can result in skin and soft tissue wounds that can range from small scabs to large open sores with dead or dying tissue.

Dr. Bill Jenkins, director of the emergency department at Independence Health Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant, said it’s common to see the wounds, which can be painful, on patients’ extremities.

Injection-site infections related to drug use have been typical in the past, but the xylazine-related wounds are evolving into deeper, more necrotic injuries, he said.

“They cause a fair amount of skin destruction,” he said.

Often, patients who come to the emergency department are there for another health issue when staff members notice the wounds. Jenkins encouraged anyone with xylazine-related injuries to seek treatment because more serious ones can require surgery.

Phillips said he plans to distribute the wound kits containing gauze and bandages, among other items, to health care providers and other community agencies in an effort to help people with skin and tissue injuries to keep them clean.

Authorities have more commonly noticed open wounds when making drug-related arrests over the past year, and they are much worse than an infection at an injection site, Westmoreland County Detective Tony Marcocci said.

The wounds can take months or years to heal, if they do at all, according to the National Harm Reduction Coalition.

Testing strips that detect xylazine in drugs are being distributed by local agencies, such as the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission. Xylazine cannot be counteracted by the use of Narcan or naloxone, which is used as a lifesaving treatment for someone who is overdosing on opioids.

Officials in Philadelphia began noticing an increased amount of the animal sedative in the area’s drug supply a few years ago. It has since spread across Pennsylvania and the country, prompting state officials to temporarily list it last year as a controlled substance.

Fentanyl mixed with xylazine has been classified an emerging drug threat in the United States by the Office of National Drug Control Policy because of its growing role in drug overdose deaths nationwide.

Janice Olson, director of operations at Sage’s Army, said she requested the kits from Phillips because she knows xylazine is out there. Staff members at the advocacy and recovery organization have been visiting local communities to connect with people in need, and they’d like to be able to hand out the kits, along with other resources.

“We’re just trying to have that readily available,” she said.