Investigation of the Efficacy of an Administration Plan for Tazobactam/Piperacillin (TAZ/PIPC) and the Incidence of Kidney and Hepatic Disorders.

Tazobactam/piperacillin (TAZ/PIPC) is widely used in the treatment of infectious disease. In this study, three hundred and sixty-three patients who were treated with the recommended dose of TAZ/PIPC were investigated for the proportion of time above the minimum inhibitory concentration (%TAM) and the frequency of renal and liver dysfunction. Of the whole patient population, 5.23%, exhibited increased creatinine levels, 9.37% and 8.82% exhibited increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, respectively. The patients who exhibited high serum creatinine (SCr) levels before administration, exhibited significant increases of AST (p=0.0121). The patients who exhibited low albumin levels before administration, exhibited significant decreases in renal function (p=0.0041). In the case of a breakpoint (BP) of 64 µg/mL, the arrival probabilities of %TAM of 30% and 50% were 99.4% and 76.9%, respectively. We suggested that the dose of TAZ/PIPC should be adjusted according to the interview form finding and a %TAM>50% (maximal bactericidal action).

Relationship of Prescribed Drugs with the Risk of Fall in Inpatients.

Falls are common in elderly patients and are often serious. Several drugs have been associated with an increased risk of fall. Older adults often take multiple drugs for chronic diseases, and thus may be at increased risk from drugs associated with fall. We investigated the association between drug use and falling in hospitalized older people, with the goal of identifying medications that may increase the risk of a fall. A retrospective case control study was performed at the National Hospital Organization Kumamoto Saishunso Hospital in Japan. Medications taken by patients who fell (n=57) were compared with those taken by patients who did not fall (n=63). The median age (interquartile range; IQR) of the fall and non-fall groups were 75.0 (67.0-83.0) and 80.0 (70.3-84.5) years, respectively. The characteristics of the two groups were similar, with no significant differences in age, sex, or body weight. The probability of falling increased when the patients used zolpidem [odds ratio (OR)=2.47; 95%CI: 1.09-5.63; p<0.05] and calcium channel antagonists (OR=0.299; 95%CI: 0.13-0.68; p<0.01), and was also related to physical factors (OR=2.27; 95%CI: 1.01-5.09; p<0.05). Elderly patients taking zolpidem may fall due to sleepiness, and blood pressure control may be important to prevent orthostatic high blood pressure. In the treatment of elderly people, medical staff should try to choose drugs that prevent fall or are not associated with falling.