Palatability of Crushed Over-the-Counter Medications.

CONTEXT: Dysphagia is a common concern, especially in the last several days of life. Medications are often crushed for ease of administration for individuals with swallowing difficulty. OBJECTIVES: To assess palatability of commonly used crushed over-the-counter (OTC) medications. A secondary objective is to evaluate pharmacist knowledge and opinions of crushing medications. METHODS: Pharmacist participants sampled crushed OTC medications and completed presampling and postsampling surveys about crushing medications. Participants were excluded for current smoking or tobacco use, pregnancy, allergy to any study medication or applesauce, or potential drug-drug interaction with study medications. Eight OTC medications were crushed and mixed in applesauce: naproxen, fexofenadine, phenazopyridine, multivitamin, loperamide, famotidine, sennosides, and sennosides-docusate. Participants were blinded to medication samples and control (plain applesauce). Samples were rated from one (least palatable) to five (most palatable). Investigators recorded participants' comments, behaviors, and facial expressions during sampling. RESULTS: Nineteen volunteers completed the study. Most participants rated three samples as not palatable (score of two or less): fexofenadine, 16 (84%); loperamide, 13 (68%); and sennosides-docusate, 16 (84%). All participants rated famotidine and sennosides palatable. The percentage of participants who would consider palatability in recommendations for crushing medications increased from 47% prestudy to 79% poststudy. CONCLUSION: Palatability should be considered when recommending crushed medications. Survey responses indicate that pharmacists' opinions of crushed medications changed after this palatability experiment. Clinicians should evaluate the appropriateness of all medications when dysphagia is a concern and deprescribe medications when appropriate to reduce burden for patients and caregivers.

Evaluation of QTc Interval Prolongation Among Patients With Cancer Using Enteral Methadone.

CONTEXT:: The effect of methadone on corrected QT interval (QTc) in patients with cancer pain is not well-known. OBJECTIVES:: To describe and characterize the effect of low-, moderate-, and high-dose enteral methadone on QTc interval in patients with cancer. METHODS:: Retrospective cohort study including patients prescribed enteral methadone during the 27-month study period. Participants were divided into 3 methadone daily dose groups: <30 (low dose), 30 to 59 (moderate dose), ≥60 (high dose) mg. The primary outcome was the incidence of QTc prolongation (>450 ms for females and >430 ms for males). Secondary outcomes included the magnitude of change in QTc after starting methadone, the incidence of clinically significant QTc prolongation (>500 ms) and the prevalence of torsades de pointes and syncope. RESULTS:: Two hundred three patients met study inclusion criteria: 91 (45%) low dose, 52 (26%) moderate dose, and 60 (29%) high dose. Incidence of QTc prolongation for low-, moderate-, and high-dose groups was 50 (55%), 37 (71%), and 43 (72%), respectively ( P = .039, low vs high dose). Incidence of clinically significant QTc prolongation was 10 (11%), 4 (8%), and 7 (12%) for low-, moderate-, and high-dose groups. For patients without QTc prolongation prior to initiating methadone, 62% of moderate-dose patients and 67% of high-dose patients had QTc prolongation, while taking methadone. CONCLUSION:: This study found a notably high incidence of QTc prolongation in patients with cancer using enteral methadone. Future studies should aim to determine the risk of adverse cardiac effects in the cancer population and determine appropriate monitoring of methadone for pain management.

A Survey of Hospice and Palliative Care Physicians Regarding Palliative Sedation Practices.

CONTEXT: Patients nearing the end of life may experience symptoms that are refractory to standard therapeutic options. Physicians may consider palliative sedation to relieve intolerable suffering. There is limited clinical literature regarding preferred medications for palliative sedation. OBJECTIVES: To determine the preferred medications physicians use when implementing palliative sedation. METHODS: An Internet-based, cross-sectional survey of hospice and palliative care physicians in the United States. RESULTS: A link to the survey was e-mailed to 3130 physician members of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, of which 381 physicians completed the survey. Physicians were not required to answer all questions. Nearly all (n = 335, 99%) respondents indicated that palliative sedation may be used (acceptable by 73% [n = 248] for refractory symptoms and acceptable by 26% [n = 87] only for imminently dying patients). Seventy-nine percent (n = 252) believed that opioids should not be used to induce palliative sedation but should be continued to provide pain control. Midazolam was the most commonly selected first-line choice for palliative sedation (n = 155, 42%). The most commonly reported second-line agents for the induction of palliative sedation were lorazepam, midazolam (for those who did not select midazolam as first-line agent), and phenobarbital with a reported preference of 20% (n = 49), 19% (n = 46), and 17% (n = 40), respectively. CONCLUSION: Of the physicians surveyed, 99% (n = 335) felt that palliative sedation is a reasonable treatment modality. Midazolam was considered a drug of choice for inducing and maintaining sedation, and opioids were continued for pain control.

Petroleum jelly (vaseline balls) for the treatment of constipation: a survey of hospice and palliative care practitioners.

Constipation is a common symptom at end of life, impacting patient outcomes and healthcare costs. Hospice and palliative care professionals often use practices based on anecdotal evidence. One such intervention is an oral preparation of petroleum jelly (OPJ), referred to as "Vaseline balls." This survey was designed to collect information regarding healthcare practitioners' knowledge and attitudes toward the use of OPJ for the management of constipation in hospice and palliative care. An online survey was distributed to physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who work with hospice and palliative care patients. A total of 67% (n=237/353) of responders reported being familiar with the use of OPJ. Results indicate there is a need for further clinical research on the use of OPJ to guide practice.

Chlorpromazine bioavailability from a topical gel formulation in volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Symptom management medications are often compounded into topical gel formulations providing an alternative route of administration for hospice and palliative care patients. Though commonly used, transdermal absorption and bioavailability studies of these gel products are lacking. Chlorpromazine was studied because it is FDA approved for treatment of nausea and vomiting and is used off-label for treatment of agitation and delirium. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine the transdermal absorption of chlorpromazine PLO gel in healthy adults. METHODS: Twenty-five milligrams of chlorpromazine in PLO gel was applied to 10 subjects' wrists and 100 mg was applied to 1 subject's wrist. Blood draws were completed preapplication and 1, 2, and 4 hours postapplication. This single-center unblinded study recruited healthy adults between 18 and 70 years of age. Participants were not pregnant, did not have an allergy to any component of the study medication, and were not taking a phenothiazine medication. RESULTS: Chlorpromazine was undetected in any of the 11 subjects' blood samples. LIMITATIONS: There is an assumption of equivalent medication absorption in healthy patients and palliative care or hospice patients. CONCLUSION: Rapid relief of symptoms at end of life is essential. Chlorpromazine in PLO gel may not be an effective treatment option since blood levels were undetectable at 1, 2, and 4 hours after topical application.